Get Guardian on GoogleA United States lawmaker, Chris Smith, is to lead a congressional hearing on Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christians and tackle insecurity in the Middle Belt.
The hearing, scheduled for Thursday, November 12, will examine attacks by extremist groups, including Boko Haram, and the Nigerian government’s response to violence against vulnerable communities.
In a statement on Monday, Smith’s office said the hearing, titled ‘One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt’, would assess measures taken by the Federal Government to address religious persecution and bring perpetrators of violence to justice.
It will also examine possible actions by the United States to ensure that Nigerian authorities prevent attacks against Christians and non-radical Muslim communities.
Smith, a Republican representative from New Jersey and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Sub-committee, is expected to lead his 14th congressional hearing on what his office described as the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The first panel will feature Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.
The second panel will comprise Nina Shea, Senior Fellow and Director of the Centre for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute; Ryan Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Open Doors US; and Oge Onubogu, Director and Senior Fellow of the Africa Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
The hearing will begin at 11 a.m. at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, and will also be streamed live on YouTube.
Other members of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Sub-committee are expected to participate.
Smith has been among US lawmakers who have raised allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria.
In 2025, US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over allegations of Christian persecution, before the United States carried out a military strike against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria on Christmas Day.
Nigeria and the United States have since strengthened military cooperation, including the deployment of 200 US troops to train Nigerian military personnel in counterterrorism operations.
