The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has raised concerns over the increasing violations of religious freedoms in Nigeria. In a report released over the weekend, USCIRF highlighted systematic and ongoing restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in the country.

The report noted that several states in Nigeria are enforcing blasphemy laws to prosecute members of various faith-based groups, including Christians, Muslims, and secular humanists.

In its 2024 Annual Report, USCIRF stated: “The government continues to tolerate egregious violence against religious groups by non-state actors, such as the Islamic State-West Africa Province (ISWAP), JAS/Boko Haram, and other extremist groups. This violence affects large numbers of Christians and Muslims in several states across Nigeria and targets both religious sites and individuals from religious communities.”

USCIRF recommended that the US Department of State designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.

USCIRF, an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the US Congress, monitors, analyses, and reports on religious freedom abroad. It provides foreign policy recommendations to the US president, the Secretary of State, and Congress with the aim of deterring religious persecution and promoting freedom of religion or belief.

The organisation is chaired by Stephen Schneck, with Eric Ueland serving as vice-chair.

While Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution prohibits the federal and state governments from adopting an official religion, USCIRF noted that the constitution also allows for the use of Shari’a and traditional law courts for non-criminal proceedings at the state level, without compelling all citizens to abide by them. The report further noted that 12 states in northern Nigeria, along with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have implemented Shari’a legal frameworks, with some applying Shari’a in criminal cases.

The report added: “Shari’a codes prohibit blasphemy and other offences based on Islamic law, as interpreted by each state’s high court. Shari’a courts utilise a religiously grounded penal code, including for serious criminal offences, and specify punishments such as caning, amputation, and stoning. The Nigerian government continues to imprison individuals accused of blasphemy and often fails to pursue perpetrators of violence related to blasphemy allegations.”

USCIRF cited several cases of individuals being imprisoned on blasphemy charges, including humanist Mubarak Bala, who was arrested in 2020 and sentenced to 24 years in prison by the Kano State High Court in 2022. His sentence was later reduced to five years by the Kano State Court of Appeal in February 2024.

In another case, Sufi Muslim Yahaya Sharif-Aminu has been imprisoned since 2022 for sharing audio messages deemed “insulting to the religious creed”. Sufi cleric Abduljabar Nasiru Kabara was arrested for blasphemy in 2021 and sentenced to death in 2022, with his imprisonment continuing.

The report also highlighted the violence perpetrated by Fulani bandits, who operate in several groups across North-West Nigeria. These groups engage in violence and banditry, primarily targeting Christian communities, and pose a significant security threat in the region.

The commission noted that the ongoing conflict, driven by competition for natural resources between Christian farmers and Muslim Fulani herders, has severely restricted freedom of religion or belief in the North-West, North-East, and central regions of Nigeria. The violence has disrupted food production, regional trade, and led to the imposition of illegal bandit-enforced taxes, primarily affecting Christian farmers.

USCIRF further criticised the Nigerian government for its slow response to and prevention of kidnappings by these groups, which often target Christian schools and students. President Bola Tinubu has urged families not to pay ransom demands to discourage further crimes and has promised more detailed strategies in response, though he has not elaborated on what those strategies would entail.