Human rights lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has reacted to the decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to place Nigeria on the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) watch list over alleged genocide and systematic persecution of Christians.
Ejiofor, in a statement on Saturday, stated that this development should not be treated with mere rhetoric or political posturing.
According to the lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), “the moment calls for deep introspection, honesty, and decisive action from those in authority.”
He stated that the inclusion of Nigeria on the U.S. watch list is a serious indictment of the country’s human rights record and a reflection of the growing global concern over religious intolerance and targeted violence.
Ejiofor urged the Nigerian government to confront these realities transparently and to take concrete steps toward protecting the lives and freedoms of all citizens, regardless of their faith or ethnicity.
The statement reads, “Certain hirelings, such as Reno Omokri, without any formal mandate, attempted to manipulate foreign opinion through a tea-party-styled gathering in Nigeria, pushing a pre-packaged narrative aimed at countering the steadily mounting record of Christian lives lost.
That gambit proved counter-productive and brutally miscalculated, a public relations disaster the planners should still be lamenting.
Moment of sincerity
“The moment demands that we set aside domestic politics, propaganda, and misleading narratives, and confront the real situation head-on.
“The Christian community in Nigeria is not merely under threat, it is enduring existential assaults that bear the unmistakable hallmarks of systematic elimination.
“According to multiple independent reports, thousands of Christians are killed each year, their churches burnt, villages emptied, and ancestral farmlands seized.
“Nigeria’s Christian population has repeatedly faced targeted attacks, from the North during the jihadist surge of Boko Haram and its affiliate ISWAP, to the “Middle Belt” farmer-herder conflicts, where Fulani-linked militias frequently assault Christian farming communities under the guise of grazing disputes.
According to Ejiofor, these are not random or collateral tragedies but reflections of a pattern of deliberate targeting of faith, of identity and of land.
He however identified positive impact of the declaration by President Trump.
“The declaration by President Trump carries profound implications for Nigeria and beyond:
“It draws renewed international attention to the crisis, making it harder for the Nigerian state to maintain its business-as-usual, performative responses.
Potential diplomatic consequences
“It signals potential diplomatic and economic consequences should the persecution persist, thereby creating leverage for genuine accountability.
“It validates and honours the suffering of the victims, many of whom, until now, have been treated as mere statistics rather than martyrs of conscience and faith.
Ejiofor stressed the need for decisive action from relevant quarters. “Let us be clear: the declaration is only a beginning. The real test lies in action.
“Those who have systematically executed this extermination agenda must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted under the full weight of the law.
“There must be no secret trials, no political negotiations, justice must be visible and uncompromising.
“The Nigerian Government must realize that if the United States has invoked its moral and diplomatic authority to name Nigeria publicly, it must have done so on the strength of verified facts, data, and credible intelligence.
“Any continued denial or silence risks exposing the government’s complicity or indifference.
No more hiding
“Those who planted bombs in churches, massacred worshippers, displaced entire congregations, or seized farmlands from Christian families have no narrative left to hide behind.
“The fate of the victims of this silent slaughter is a scar upon the conscience of the nation, and indeed, the global Church.
Every village razed, every child orphaned, every altar desecrated sends a chilling reminder that faith and life must never again be bartered for silence.
May the victims know that their suffering has scented the winds of change.
May the survivors find renewed courage.
And may the perpetrators learn that the cameras of history are no longer turned away.
As we step into a new month, I wish the victims of this genocide, and indeed all our well-wishers, and supporters; resilience, hope, and the promise of justice.
May the coming days bring renewal, peace, and accountability.
