Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) and Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) led a joint briefing with the House Foreign Affairs Committee to discuss the escalating violence and arbitrary persecution of Christians in Nigeria with representatives from the field of international relations.
This roundtable follows President Donald J. Trump’s October 31st directive to the House Appropriations Committee to investigate the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria and report back with their findings.
Among the participants were:
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), vice chairman of the Department of State’s Department of State, and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chairman and Values Action Team (VAT) Chair
Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV), vice chair of the House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee, and a prominent advocate for religious liberty
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee Chairman
Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Hon. Vicky Hartzler
Alliance Defending Freedom International, Sean Nelson
Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, Council on Foreign Relations
No one should be afraid of how they worship, said Subcommittee Chairman D’az-Balart. A major American concern and moral obligation is both protecting religious freedom worldwide. As Chairman of the subcommittee that funds U. S. national security interests and foreign policy priorities, I remain committed to advancing policies that protect the freedom to live according to one’s faith without fear of violence and retribution. In my FY26 funding bill, I address this problem, and I intend to advance an America First agenda by passing a full-year funding measure.
The rising violence and targeted persecution of Christians in Nigeria is a crisis that cannot be ignored, according to Congressman Aderholt. Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked to protect the most vulnerable, including those whose lives and liberties are threatened simply because of their faith. I applaud our concerted efforts to give the President the information he needs to deal with this growing tragedy and stand steadfastly with Nigeria’s Christian communities and all persecuted believers around the world.
Our brothers and sisters in Christ are being persecuted and slaughtered in Nigeria for claiming to believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, according to Congressman Moore. That’s why President Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, and why he asked me, along with the House Committee on Appropriations, to look into the horrific persecution of Christians in Nigeria. I’m grateful to Chairman D’az-Balart for convening this crucial discussion so that we can get a comprehensive picture of the ongoing crisis Nigerian Christians are facing every day. The persecution of Christians in Nigeria will no longer be ignored by the world.
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Chairman Mast asserted that this is not just “inter-communal violence” or a “resource conflict,” as many claim. This is a specific religious cleansing campaign. Whether it is Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, or radicalized nomadic Fulani militants, the objective is to drive Christians out of their ancestral lands in the Middle Belt and impose a radical Islamist ideology, as has already happened across the northern states, where blasphemy laws are used to oppress. I firmly concur with President Trump’s choice to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern as the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. We must demand that these militias be disarmed, that displaced families be brought back to their homes, and that the perpetrators be brought to justice by the Nigerian government.
Congressman Smith said, “To be a Christian—or moderate Muslim—living in Nigeria means to be living under the constant threat of murder, rape, and torture by radical Islamist groups, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists. Nigeria, the epicenter of religious violence, is the scene of the most brutal and murderous anti-Christian persecution in the world, as well as the systematic killing and targeting of moderate Muslims who oppose radical Islamists or reject their extreme ideals. The Nigerian government is legally obligated to protect its citizens, but the persecutors of this persecution continue to operate in total impunity. The United States is committed to standing firmly with the persecuted, no matter where in the world. I have faith that the United States will hold the Nigerian government accountable for its role in the pervasive religious persecution that occurs within its borders under President Trump’s strong leadership. We cannot allow this to happen because the Nigerian government is trying to run out of time. We must act quickly and decisively to save more lives”.
“Government must act decisively,” says the phrase.
Expert witnesses provided important insight into the ongoing conflict in Nigeria and discussed ways Congress can support efforts to assist weakened religious groups in Nigeria and other countries.
Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Hon. Vicky Hartzler, illustrated the real and viable threat to religious freedom and the very lives of innocent people in Nigeria that is happening right now.
Hon . According to Hardzler, “Religious freedom in Nigeria has been under siege since 2025, and it seems to be getting worse.” Just a few days ago, on November 22ⁿᵈ, 303 children and 12 teachers were abducted in an attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in Niger State. Gunmen kidnapped several innocent people, including a pastor, and killed two others in Kwara State a few days prior.
We must be clear that religious freedom violations are rampant regardless of the organization that is the perpetrator of the violence: in August, bandits killed 27 worshipers in a mosque in Katsina State and abducted over 100 people, mostly women and children. They are horrible, egregious, violent, and Christians are the predominant victims. All killings must be stopped, regardless of the victim’s religion, and the government must immediately take swift action to stop any more killings.
Hartzler emphasized the significance of President Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), a distinction that was reiterated in our Fiscal Year 2026 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations bill, and provided additional recommendations for the United States to support solutions in the area.
Hon . Hartzler continued, “The U.S. government should also work directly with the Nigerian government to significantly improve its accountability and transparency, while also making the most of relevant U.S. security assistance, such as police reform and mediation.
The U.S. government should demand that Nigerian government officials respond when there is an early warning, and resources could also be invested in early warning systems to reduce community violence. Too many times, local villagers learn of an impending attack and reach out for protection, only to have their cries for help ignored to their ultimate demise.
Worse yet, there are instances of law enforcement being called during an attack but receiving no assistance. This is unacceptable! … Washington has always seen Nigeria as the linchpin to West African economic prosperity, and the U. S. government should continue to work with the Nigerian government to provide technical expertise and other forms of assistance to train, support, and counter violent insurgent groups so the entire region can prosper.
After all, peace not only facilitates religious freedom but also secures trade and markets, enabling Nigeria to become more self-sufficient and realize its long-awaited potential.
Without the government’s assistance, Sean Nelson, Senior Counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom International, spoke to firsthand accounts of the violence and terrorism that Christians in Nigeria face.
Nelson said, “Our cases have involved Christians unjustly imprisoned by Sharia courts, false allegations of crimes merely for evangelism or protecting Christian converts or operating charities, Christians kidnapped and tortured, girls taken from their parents and forced into marriages and forcefully converted to Islam, and both Christians and minority Muslims charged with blasphemy accusations.
Many of the people I’ve met have escaped being murdered by extremists or even people they knew from their communities by sharing their heartbreaking stories with me directly. I’ve been to villages that were directly targeted by Fulani militants, and I’ve seen the pain of mass displacement, pastor beheadings, mass graves, widows and orphans, churches and homes torched, destroyed farmland, and the constant feeling that Christians are invincible against these religiously motivated attacks, and that the government has frequently failed to protect them.
Nelson explained the Nigerian government’s failure to protect Christian communities, often leaving them to fend for themselves against heavily armed militant bands of terrorists.
Nelson continued, “Owners in Nigeria reject any notion that religion is a factor in these attacks, and they have limited resources in the Middle Belt, where Christians have been hardest hit. Law enforcement and officials frequently ignore Christians’ pleas when they report imminent attacks, which results in tragic outcomes.
“Nigeria also maintains and enforces one of the most draconian blasphemy laws in the world. One of only seven places in the world with a law like this, one of the 12 northern Sharia states, where a person can be sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy. These laws prod God’s people, including those against Christians like Deborah Yakubu and Rhoda Jatau, in terrible mob violence.
Ebenezer Obadare, the Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, spoke to the root cause of the violence: unchecked jihadist terror groups, chief among them Boko Haram.
According to Obadare, jihadist terror, which is carried out by the Islamist group Boko Haram, poses the most serious threat to the Nigerian state today. Western education is prohibited, as Boko Haramtranslates. Boko Haram’s barbarous and implacable campaign to overthrow the Nigerian state and establish an Islamic caliphate in its stead is the source of Nigeria’s present discontents. Every attempt to resolve the Nigerian crisis without seriously examining the need to fundamentally alter and ultimately eliminate Boko Haram as a means of combat is futile.
Obadare also developed a successful strategy for battling the terror organizations, including putting pressure on the Nigerian government through incentives.
Obadare continued, “As recent events have shown, the Nigerian authorities are not impervious to incentives. President Tinubu has taken several actions, including ordering air strikes against Boko Haram targets, hiring an additional 30 000 policemen, and declaring a national security emergency in the country, most recently. Washington must continue to put in the pressure. The policy goal should be two-fold: first, work with the Nigerian military to neutralize Boko Haram. Second, the United States should press President Tinubu to: (1) repeal Sharia law in the twelve northern states where it has been implemented since 2000; and (2) dissolve the various Hisbah organizations that are attempting to impose Islamic law on all citizens regardless of their religious identity.
