Nigeria Church Massacre: State Department Official Meets Local Bishop

The statement comes in the wake of the massacre, where 40 people were confirmed dead and more than 60 injured. 

Smith wrote that “the attack indicates the southward migration of terror towards Christian-majority regions as well as Nigeria’s oil-producing areas.”

Nigeria, a nation of more than 216 million that is Africa’s most populous country, is of “outsized importance” to West Africa, Smith said, adding that the increased violence toward Christians can no longer be ignored, according to the statement.

Before the massacre in the Diocese of Ondo, the State Department omitted Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern in its annual International Religious Freedom Report.

In the press release, Smith noted alarming statistics from Open Doors USA, a network that serves persecuted Christians. The religious-freedom watchdog reported that a Christian is killed every two hours for practicing his or her faith — in Nigeria alone. This amounts to approximately 13 Christians killed per day, or 372 killed every month.

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According to Open Doors, Nigeria accounted for almost 80% of Christian deaths around the world last year.

Finan told CNA that Smith's office will continue to work with Arogundade.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the meeting took place via a Zoom teleconference call.