The United States House Appropriations Committee has reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to tackling religious persecution worldwide, placing fresh emphasis on Nigeria’s worsening internal displacement crisis. In a post on its official X handle, the committee said America “will not look away as innocent lives are stolen,” noting that an on the ground mission to Nigeria was ordered by President Donald Trump to inform a report on Christian persecution and guide policy recommendations.
The visit was led by Congressman Riley Moore as head of a US lawmakers’ delegation, a trip confirmed by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. According to both sides, the mission aimed to deepen counter terrorism cooperation, support regional stability and strengthen the strategic security partnership between Nigeria and the United States.
During the trip, Moore travelled to Benue State, where he met Tiv and Catholic leaders and visited camps for internally displaced persons. On X, he described the conditions in the camps as harrowing and said he met dozens of Christians who had been driven from their homes by brutal attacks and now live in overcrowded shelters.
He recounted testimonies from survivors who described family members being killed in front of them, including one woman whose husband and five children were murdered as she and her unborn child barely escaped. Another woman said her baby was ripped from her womb, while a man told Moore his family was hacked to death and his arm left permanently mangled.
Moore estimated that more than 600,000 Christians are currently living in IDP camps in Benue, a state long scarred by clashes between farming communities and armed groups. He said these communities should be able to live in their ancestral homeland without fear of what he described as “genocidal Fulani,” calling for greater international focus on the violence.
The congressman also held talks with religious and traditional leaders including Bishops Wilfred Anagbe and Isaac Dugu and Tiv traditional ruler James Ioruza. He said the meetings were deeply moving and centred on what local leaders called an ongoing genocidal campaign in parts of Benue.
Moore’s discussions with Nigerian officials, including Ribadu, covered terrorism in the North East and killings in the Middle Belt, issues he said are priorities for President Trump and for the US Congress. He praised Nigeria’s recent rescue of more than 100 abducted Catholic schoolchildren and welcomed what he described as a now established joint task force between both countries as a step forward.
However, he stressed that openness from Nigerian authorities must translate into concrete action on the ground, warning that much work remains to be done. His visit took place against a backdrop of rising diplomatic tension, following the Trump administration’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations and warnings of possible US military intervention.
Nigeria’s Federal Government has repeatedly rejected claims of systemic persecution of Christians, arguing that insecurity affects people of all faiths. Earlier, Ribadu met US officials at the Pentagon on November 20, where Secretary of War Pete Hegseth discussed coordinated responses to Nigeria’s security crisis.
On the same day, the US House Subcommittee on Africa held a public hearing on the implications of Nigeria’s redesignation as a Country of Particular Concern. Last week, House Republicans again raised alarms over religiously targeted violence in Nigeria during a joint briefing ordered by President Trump.
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