United States President Donald Trump has expressed concern over the persistent presence of Boko Haram, the Islamic State, and other terrorist groups in Nigeria.

Trump pointed to the activities of these jihadist organizations as one of the reasons Nigeria was added to the list of countries facing travel restrictions to the United States. “Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria,” Trump stated in his proclamation on Tuesday.

Another factor mentioned was Nigeria’s visa overstay report, which indicated a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90%.

However, terrorism appears to have been the primary reason for Nigeria’s inclusion, as the country has one of the lowest overstay rates among the 15 nations newly restricted.

The White House Fact Sheet revealed that Angola had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 14.43% and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 21.92%; Benin had rates of 12.34% and 36.77% respectively; Cote d’Ivoire recorded 8.47% and 19.09%.

Gabon’s rates were 13.72% for B-1/B-2 visas and 17.77% for F, M, and J visas; The Gambia had 12.70% and 38.79%; Malawi reported 22.45% and 31.99%; Mauritania had 9.49% for B-1/B-2 visas. Senegal and Tanzania had rates of 4.30% and 8.30% for B-1/B-2 visas, and 13.07% and 13.97% for F, M, and J visas, respectively.

Observers are not surprised by Trump’s recent action, as he has been outspoken in recent weeks regarding attacks on Christians in various parts of Nigeria.

On October 31, Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a classification under the International Religious Freedom Act for nations experiencing severe violations of religious freedom.

The US President also threatened the deployment of American forces to target terrorists responsible for the violence, drawing responses from major global powers, including China and Russia.

In November, the Trump administration led a discussion at the United Nations on violence against Christians in Nigeria, inviting rap artist Nicki Minaj to participate after expressing solidarity with the campaign.

Also in November, US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, stated that the atrocities in Nigeria are being carried out by “Boko Haram and 22 other Muslim extremist terrorist groups.”

In December, Congressman Riley Moore headed a US congressional delegation to Nigeria on a fact-finding mission aimed at addressing the persecution of Christians and the broader security crisis.

Moore described the situation he observed as “heartbreaking” and announced plans to develop “a strategic security framework” to combat the threats posed by ISIS and Boko Haram, as well as “the genocide against Christians by radical Fulani Muslims in the Middle Belt.”