Nigeria has been removed from the list of religious violators list; this was announced yesterday by the United State Department according to a statement from the Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The United State Department has also blacklisted Russia, China and eight other countries of” particular concern” for having engaged in or tolerated ‘systematic, ongoing, and atrocious violations of religious freedom.’

Nigeria out of religious violators list.

Antony Blinken announced that Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan will also be added on the CPC list, He said “I am also placing Algeria, Comoros, Cuba, and Nicaragua on a Special Watch List for governments that have engaged in or tolerated ‘severe violations of religious freedom.’

“Finally, I am designating al-Shabab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS, ISIS-Greater Sahara, ISIS-West Africa, Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, and the Taliban as Entities of Particular Concern.”

The International Christians Concern (ICC), said Nigeria’s omission comes as a surprise as the situation in the country continues to worsen “for the country’s Christian community”.

The United State in 2020 had placed Nigeria and six other countries on its special watch list of states that had engaged in or tolerated severe violation of religious freedom. However, Nigeria is missing from the list of countries designated in the 2021 list for religious violations.