In a statement issued on its official X account yesterday, the United States House Appropriations Committee said that the US is still committed to fighting religious persecution around the world, with a concentration on Nigeria.
“America will not turn a blind eye to the theft of innocent lives.” Under the direction of @POTUS, Appropriators led a mission on the ground to gather information for a report on Christian persecution in Nigeria and make policy suggestions. The committee declared, “Our NSRP bill is all about religious freedom and responding to atrocities.”
The PUNCH says that the declaration came after a group of US congressmen, led by Congressman Riley Moore and directed by President Donald Trump, went to Nigeria.
The National Security Adviser of Nigeria, Nuhu Ribadu, acknowledged that the delegation’s purpose was to improve collaboration in the fight against terrorism, make the area more stable, and deepen the strategic security partnership between Nigeria and the United States.
Moore spoke with officials from the Tiv and Catholic communities in Benue State and went to camps for those who had to leave their homes.
He said that what he saw on X was very bad.
“I met dozens of Christians who were forced to leave their homes and were the victims of terrible violence. They now live in IDP camps,” Moore wrote.
He talked about what the victims of attacks in Benue said, saying, “They told horrible stories that I will never forget.”
“One mother had to witness as they killed her husband and five kids.
“She and her unborn child barely made it out alive. Another woman told me that her family was killed in front of her and her kid was taken from her womb.
“A man said he saw his family get hacked to death and his arm get permanently damaged.”
Moore said that more than 600,000 Christians are currently residing in IDP camps in Benue State, which has been impacted by deadly battles between farming communities and armed groups for a long time.
He added, “These Christians should be able to live in their ancestral homeland without fear of genocidal Fulani.” He called for more international attention to the problem.
Moore also talked to traditional and religious authorities, such as Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop Isaac Dugu, and James Ioruza, the traditional leader of the Tiv people.
He called these conversations “an honor and deeply moving,” and he talked about “the ongoing genocidal campaign by the Fulani in Benue State.”
The congressman stated that his talks with Nigerian officials, including Ribadu, were mostly on terrorism in the North-East and deaths in the Middle Belt. He said these were topics that were important to both him and President Trump.
He praised Nigeria for saving more than 100 Catholic pupils who had been kidnapped and said that the “now established joint task force between Nigeria and the US” was a good thing.
Moore remarked, “Now that openness has to lead to real action,” and he added, “There is still a lot of work to be done.”
The US delegation’s trip comes at a time when diplomatic tensions are high after the Trump administration re-designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” because of claimed breaches of religious freedom. This was followed by warnings of possible US military action.
The federal government has frequently denied reports that Christians are being persecuted on a large scale, saying that instability affects people of all religions.
Ribadu’s previous commitments included a trip to the Pentagon on November 20, where Secretary of War Pete Hegseth talked about working together to solve Nigeria’s security problems.
That same day, the US House Subcommittee on Africa held a public hearing to talk about what the redesignation might mean.
During a joint briefing convened by President Trump last week, House Republicans brought up new worries about religious violence in Nigeria.
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