US Congress moves to step up pressure on Nigeria after experts warn of worsening violence

Congress moves to step up pressure on Nigeria after experts warn of worsening violence

A joint briefing of senior United States lawmakers and foreign policy experts has pushed Congress toward a tougher response to the worsening persecution of Christians in Nigeria, following new testimony of mass killings, kidnappings and unchecked militant violence.

The closed-door session, held on December 2 and led by Mario Díaz-Balart, House Appropriations vice chair and head of the national security subcommittee, follows Donald Trump, United States president, directing appropriators in October to investigate the wave of attacks on Christian communities and report back to the White House.

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Díaz-Balart said the United States had both a moral duty and a national security interest in confronting religious violence abroad.

“No one should live in fear because of how they worship,” he said. “I intend to strengthen these efforts through a full-year funding measure that advances an America First agenda.”

The meeting brought together Robert Aderholt, Riley Moore, Brian Mast and Chris Smith, four of the most influential voices on foreign affairs and religious freedom in Congress, alongside Vicky Hartzler of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and experts from Alliance Defending Freedom International and the Council on Foreign Relations.

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Aderholt said the crisis “cannot be ignored”, warning that Christian communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt face relentless attacks with little protection from the authorities.

“We must stand firmly with Nigeria’s Christian communities and all persecuted believers worldwide,” he said.

Moore, who has been working closely with the Appropriations Committee on the issue, said Christian villages were being “slaughtered” and backed Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

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“The world will no longer turn a blind eye,” he said.

Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued that the violence should no longer be described as a dispute over land or resources.

“This is a targeted campaign of religious cleansing,” he said. He urged Nigeria’s government to disarm armed groups, return displaced families home and prosecute those responsible for the attacks.

Smith said Nigeria had become “ground zero of religious violence”, accusing extremist groups of operating with impunity.

“To be a Christian or moderate Muslim in Nigeria means living under the constant threat of murder, rape and torture,” he said.

Expert testimony reinforced those warnings. Hartzler said religious freedom in Nigeria was “under siege”, highlighting recent mass abductions from a Catholic school and deadly raids on churches and mosques.

“All killings must be stopped,” she said. “The government must take decisive action now.”

Sean Nelson of Alliance Defending Freedom International described visiting villages targeted by militants and meeting survivors of kidnappings, forced marriage and beheadings. He said law enforcement repeatedly ignored warnings of impending attacks.

Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations identified Boko Haram and other jihadist groups as the root threat and urged Washington to maintain pressure on Nigeria, saying recent moves by Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president, showed pressure works.

Congressional investigators are now preparing a report for the White House setting out how lawmakers can support the administration’s next steps. Lawmakers said the goal is to drive a stronger and more coordinated US policy response to one of the world’s deadliest religious crises.

Faith Omoboye is a foreign affairs correspondent with background in History and International relations. Her work focuses on African politics, diplomacy, and global governance.

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