RFI President Eric Patterson was interviewed on EWTN News Nightly to discuss violent religious persecution in Nigeria. Recent reports reveal that more than 5,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria last year and more than 3,000 kidnapped.  

“Nigeria is the most dangerous place to be a Christian in terms of the number of people who are killed annually,” Patterson remarked. He added that Christians are also subjected to bullying and intimidation and even have had their land taken away in an attempt to compel them to leave the region.

Commenting on the State Department’s decision to remove Nigeria from the Countries of Particular Concern list, Patterson said, “Unfortunately, the Biden administration simply does not take this violence seriously. They don’t take seriously how large the violence is, and they don’t take seriously how much of the violence is directed specifically at Christians.”

Patterson argued that the United States should again designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, which would enable the Secretary of State to impose sanctions on Nigeria, among other measures.  

Watch the full interview: