Trump Doctrine and Implications of Nigeria’s Designation as Country of Particular Concern (CPC)

Celestine Okechukwu Nwosu

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.86402

Trump Doctrine and Implications of Nigeria’s Designation as Country of Particular Concern (CPC)

Author(s)	Dr. Celestine Okechukwu Nwosu
Country	Nigeria
Abstract	Driven by the Trump doctrine of America’ first, the United States of America designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern in October 2025, alleging the persecution of Nigerians by radical Islamic and terrorist groups. The US issued threats of direct military attacks and on 25th December, 2026, proceeded to strike on terrorists’ hideouts in Sokoto State. This paper argues that while international law as provided in the UN Charter has expressly prohibited the external intervention of one state in the internal affairs of another, international security concerns especially since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US and the ensuing war against terror has opened a new caveat for intervention in the internal affairs of another state on humanitarian grounds. Drawing on secondary data and anchored on realist theory of international relations, it argues that the designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern was justified given the persecution of Christians by radical Islamic groups across the country. It establishes that the designation of Nigeria as CPC has three main implications for Nigeria. The CPC status is a confirmation of the failure of the Nigerian government to protect the lives and property of Christians and other Nigerian citizens. The United States and Nigeria are cooperating on security. The US is leveraging its security support to achieve its national interests defined in terms of the search for natural resources and the sale of arms to Nigeria. This article argues that the benefits of United states security intervention in Nigeria outweigh whatever economic and political benefits that are accruable to the US. The intervention is therefore a humanitarian gesture and is deemed to be permissible by international humanitarian law. It concludes that sustained strategic and effective defence cooperation between Nigeria is crucial to ending the persecution of Nigerians and other citizens, and thereby engendering a climate of sustainable development.
Keywords	Trump doctrine, Nigeria, Country of particular concern, terrorism, Christian genocide/persecution,
Field	Sociology > Politics
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-08-26
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.86402

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Trump Doctrine and Implications of Nigeria’s Designation as Country of Particular Concern (CPC)

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