• Congress seeks deeper scrutiny of FG’s protection of Christians
• Huizenga accuses Tinubu of ‘sitting back’ as Nigeria’s insecurity worsens
• Olszewski urges rethink of U.S. aid strategy, long-term support
• State Department says Nigeria faces ‘very serious’ crisis needing sharper focus
• Concerns grow over halted youth peacebuilding project in N’East
• Moore warns of rising targeted killings, faults Abuja’s response
• Congresswoman condemns Trump’s ‘reckless’ military threat to Nigeria

United States lawmakers yesterday issued stark warnings over Nigeria’s worsening violence, questioning Abuja’s capacity and political will to protect Christian communities and other victims of extremist attacks.

At a heated congressional hearing, legislators pressed for accountability, deeper U.S. engagement and urgent action to prevent further mass atrocities.

The House is reviewing Nigeria’s redesignation as a country of particular concern (CPC).

In an emotional contribution, Congressman Bill Huizenga accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of “sitting back” amid worsening insecurity in Nigeria.

He directly criticised the Nigerian delegation for downplaying the crisis in Washington.

“It ought to be outrageous that Christians, moderate Muslims, and anyone being terrorised by radicalised Islamists in Nigeria are suffering while the Tinubu government sits back and does not do enough.

“I was recently interviewed by Nigerian television, and the question was whether the Tinubu government is doing enough. My answer: No, they are not. I do not understand how a delegation can come here and downplay the crisis or offer excuses for why this is allowed to happen. It should be rejected and called out for what it is,” Huizenga said.

Huizenga also criticised the media and some members of Congress for “denying” or “de-emphasising” the scale of the killings.

Recalling a Christmas Eve 2023 attack that killed 200 people, he said the incident highlighted that security conditions have not improved.

“Do we see Christians killing Muslims the way radicalised Islamists kill Christians in Muslim areas?” he questioned, highlighting the pattern of religious attacks in the country.

Representative Andy Olszewski called for a deeper and more urgent examination of Nigeria’s ability to protect Christian communities amid what he and other lawmakers described as escalating extremist violence.

Speaking at a U.S. congressional hearing on alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria, he argued that the Nigerian government lacks the means to safeguard citizens from groups that “kill indiscriminately”, while stressing that inadequate capacity does not absolve leaders of responsibility.

According to Olszewski, a government’s duty is to protect its people, and failures—whether due to neglect, corruption, or governance challenges—must be met with accountability.

He urged the United States to reassess its approach to Nigeria, questioning whether Washington is offering genuine partnership or relying on threats of sanctions and airstrikes instead of technical assistance, training and long-term institutional support.

Olszewski pressed U.S. officials on whether the State Department believes Nigeria has the capacity to defend Christians and other religious minorities from extremist violence.

In response, Ambassador Jonathan Pratt described Nigeria as a wealthy and populous nation facing a “very serious” security problem that the United States is attempting to help address.

Pratt said the core issue is not only capability but focus, noting that while the United States has provided various tools and assistance programmes, it wants to see greater Nigerian commitment to confronting religiously targeted attacks within the broader security crisis.

The congressman also raised concerns about disrupted youth-focused peacebuilding initiatives. Citing the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2025 report, he pointed to a State Department-funded programme in northeast Nigeria, Nigerian Youth Care, which had worked to bring Christian and Muslim youth leaders together but was halted for months due to administrative delays. The programme ultimately received no extension at the close of the fiscal year.

Olszewski asked Ambassador Pratt and senior State Department official Jacob McGee why the project had not been granted a no-cost extension and whether they would recommend reinstating it.

McGee responded that the United States remains the world’s most generous foreign aid donor and continues to support early warning and interfaith dialogue programmes, while reviewing all assistance to ensure it is effective and aligned with the complex, multi-layered drivers of violence in Nigeria. He stressed the importance of acknowledging that religious persecution and extremist ideology play a central role in the crisis.

As the hearing continued, Representative Barry Moore underscored what he described as clear and repeated evidence of targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria, arguing that some media coverage and political commentary have downplayed the severity of the crisis.

He said testimonies from bishops, advocates and affected communities show a systematic pattern of violence, warning against international indifference and comparing the current climate to the global failure to act during the Rwandan genocide. Moore credited President Donald Trump for taking decisive action on Nigeria’s security challenges and said the United States should encourage stronger prioritisation from the Nigerian government, including by requesting humanitarian assistance for the Middle Belt region—a request he said Abuja has so far not made.

Moore also raised concerns about heavily armed Fulani militants operating despite Nigeria’s constitutional prohibition on civilian gun ownership. He questioned why the Nigerian government has not moved to disarm such groups, arguing that doing so would significantly reduce violence. Ambassador Pratt called the suggestion an important contribution to ongoing U.S. strategy development, particularly regarding policing and security coordination in the Middle Belt.

Moore urged Nigerian authorities to review the case of Sunday Jackson, who faces the death penalty after killing an armed Fulani militant in what supporters say was an act of self-defence. He contrasted Jackson’s prosecution with what he described as impunity for militant groups operating with automatic weapons, arguing that Nigeria’s handling of such cases reflects misplaced priorities.

U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal cautioned against framing Nigeria’s violence solely as Christian persecution, saying: “The killings in Nigeria are not just the persecution of Christians. They are the persecution of multiple groups; we should be careful not to portray it as just the persecution of Christians. That would be simplistic.”

Another lawmaker, Congressman Riley Moore, said Nigerians “do not trust their government”, adding: “How can you trust a government that does not show up when you ask them to?” He urged Abuja to work more closely with Washington to address insecurity.

The Nigerian government, however, has rejected the allegations.

President Bola Tinubu said, “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our reality.”

Nigeria was first designated a CPC in 2020 under Trump, but former President Joe Biden removed it shortly after assuming office.

Coalition asks N’Assembly to confront religious freedom violations, halt U.S. trip
The Global Coalition for Freedom of Religion in Nigeria (GCFRN) has urged the National Assembly to address what it described as “widespread, documented violations” of religious freedom affecting minority groups nationwide.

It also called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen to suspend plans to send a delegation to the United States in response to growing international concern over attacks on religious liberty in Nigeria.

Its demand came as the Plateau State Association, U.S.A, Inc. (PSA-USA), a major Diaspora group, pressed for the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for persistent killings in Plateau, Benue and other parts of the North Central region.

A separate coalition under the Christian Social Movement of Nigeria (CSMN) also urged the International Criminal Court and the United Nations to launch an independent investigation into alleged genocide against Christians.

GCFRN’s intervention follows Washington’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a status reserved for nations accused of severe violations of religious freedom. Rather than travelling to defend Nigeria’s record, the coalition told the presiding officers to “fix the problems at home first”.

Citing the 2025 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report, GCFRN said Christians in several northern states continued to face systemic discrimination, including blasphemy prosecutions, Sharia-based restrictions, school closures, targeted killings and the destruction of churches. These trends, it warned, were deepening sectarian divisions and fuelling global alarm.

The coalition said Christian communities still struggled to secure land for worship centres and faced discriminatory access to education. It also highlighted ongoing attacks by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, alongside unresolved abductions such as those of Leah Sharibu and the Chibok schoolgirls.

It accused government institutions of slow or inadequate responses to religiously motivated violence, noting cases such as the killings of Deborah Emmanuel and Eunice Olawale, and the destruction of churches during the 2011 post-election unrest.

To reverse the situation, GCFRN recommended reforms including repealing blasphemy laws, guaranteeing equal land access for churches, protecting students from forced religious instruction, dismantling Hisbah and Sharia policing structures, reclaiming insurgent-held areas and securing the release of abducted girls. It also called for amending the Human Rights Commission Act to create a dedicated religious freedom monitoring unit.

In an open letter signed by clerics, rights advocates and other stakeholders, GCFRN, led by Miami Iliya Sabka, warned that the proposed US trip could expose Nigeria to “ridicule”, given that U.S., UK and Canadian bodies had already documented evidence of widespread violations.

Attempting to challenge these findings, it said, amounted to “denying what is already undeniable”.

In a separate statement, PSA-USA National President Dr Barth Shepkong said violence in Plateau State and the wider Middle Belt was deliberate, coordinated and aimed at displacing Christian communities from their ancestral lands.

He described the killings and destruction across Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos, Kanam and other areas as a “sustained and ruthless campaign”.

CSMN, supported by several Christian organisations, argued that the scale and pattern of attacks met the international definition of genocide. Convener Bosun Emmanuel called on the UN and ICC to send investigators to determine whether genocide had occurred, insisting that such assessments should be made by independent international actors rather than local bodies with vested interests.

The coalition criticised the African Union, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and other organisations for denying claims of Christian genocide, urging the UN Security Council and ICC to immediately dispatch a fact-finding mission.

Congresswoman condemns Trump’s ‘reckless’ military threat to Nigeria
However, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs criticised President Trump’s reported threat of military action against Nigeria over allegations of Christian genocide, describing the move as “reckless” and without legal basis.

She said the framing of violence in Nigeria solely as a religious conflict was misleading. Jacobs argued that both Christians and Muslims are victims and urged the Nigerian government to strengthen its protection of citizens.

The Democrat, who represents California’s 51st Congressional District and serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the Subcommittee on Africa, warned against oversimplifying the crisis.

“President Trump’s threat is reckless, and any unilateral military action in Nigeria is illegal. Congress has not authorised force in Nigeria to protect Christians,” she said.

Jacobs added that attributing the country’s security challenges solely to religion “does not capture the whole picture”.