The U.S. congressional delegation, led by Congressman Riley Moore, has finished its fact-finding trip to Nigeria to look into claims of genocide. They are due to update President Donald Trump by the end of the month.
On Sunday, the group, which included five members of Congress, arrived in the country. They visited Internally Displaced Persons, survivors of terrorist attacks, Christian villages, Christian leaders, and traditional rulers, especially in Benue State.
The PUNCH said that they also met with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
On a Fox News show hosted by Harris Faulkner yesterday, Moore said that the crew heard horrifying stories of atrocities that Fulani and Islamic extremists are said to have carried out. He called the event the most upsetting of his career.
“The stories we heard and the pictures we saw were quite frightening. He said, “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“I met a woman who lost her whole family. Five of her children were killed in front of her while she was pregnant. She got away and gave birth to her kid in a camp for internally displaced people. You can tell that her soul has really departed her body. There are a lot of stories like this.
He also told the story of a woman who lost her husband, two kids, and her unborn child in an attack. He said that the pattern of violence showed that Christian communities were being targeted on purpose.
Moore added that the delegation had to drive across Benue State in armored cars because of safety concerns. He also said that they spoke with Catholic and Protestant leaders, bishops, and community leaders to get what he called “ground truth.”
“This is a mission to find out the truth. Benue is one of the most dangerous places in Nigeria. This is where most Christians are being killed because they believe in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “But I thought we had to go,” he continued.
He said that assailants did not spare IDP camps, which raises issues about assertions that the violence was caused by climate change or land disputes.
“For those who argue this is about the economy or climate change, why would you set fire to a church? Why would you yell “Allahu Akbar” and attack an IDP camp? He answered, “The answer is very clear.” “They want to wipe out Christians in Benue State and all of Nigeria from their ancestral homeland.”
Moore said that President Trump told him and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to write a detailed report on what was going on.
“We will tell the President what we found and give suggestions. He requested me and Chairman Tom Cole to write him a report, and we will do so by the end of this month, he said.
In late October, Trump called Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” because of claims of Christian genocide. The federal administration has disagreed, saying that Nigeria’s security situation has nothing to do with religion.
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