US Lawmakers Challenge Nigerian Government’s Position on Alleged Christian Genocide

A rare joint briefing of top United States House Appropriators and Foreign Affairs leaders was held yesterday as part of an ongoing congressional probe into what legislators and experts describe as rising, targeted attacks on Christians in Nigeria.

The briefing, chaired by House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), forms part of a wider investigation ordered by President Donald Trump into recent massacres of Nigerian Christians and possible U.S. policy responses to compel Abuja to act.

Trump instructed Congress—through Reps. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) and Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.)—to examine Christian persecution in Nigeria and prepare a report for the White House. He has also floated the possibility of direct military action against Islamist attackers.

Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, told lawmakers that “religious freedom [is] under siege,” referencing the abduction of more than 300 children and attacks in which “radical Muslims kill entire Christian villages [and] burn churches.”

‘Rampant’ violations

Hartzler said violations were “rampant,” “violent,” and disproportionately affecting Christians, who she said were targeted “at a 2.2 to 1 rate” compared with Muslims.

She acknowledged some corrective steps by the Nigerian government, including the reassignment of about 100,000 police officers from VIP protection roles. However, she warned the country was entering a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence.”

Sanctions proposed

Hartzler recommended targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials “who have demonstrated complicity,” including visa bans, freezing U.S.-held assets, and placing conditions on foreign and humanitarian aid.

She also urged Congress to order a Government Accountability Office review of past U.S. aid and called on Abuja to reclaim villages taken from Christian farming communities so widows and children could return home.

Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations strongly challenged the Nigerian government’s claim that attacks were not religiously driven.

He said portraying Boko Haram and similar groups as targeting Christians and Muslims equally was a “myth,” insisting the militants “act for one reason and one reason only: religion.”

Obadare said higher Muslim casualty figures reflected geography rather than parity in targeting, and described Boko Haram as fundamentally opposed to democracy. He argued Nigeria’s military was “too corrupt and incompetent” to dismantle jihadist networks without strong external pressure.

He called on the U.S. to push Nigeria to disband groups enforcing Islamic law, confront corruption in the security forces, and show real commitment to curbing religious violence. Washington, he added, should insist on immediate responses from Nigerian officials when early warnings of attacks emerge.

‘Deadliest country’ for Christians

Sean Nelson of Alliance Defending Freedom International described Nigeria as “the deadliest country in the world for Christians,” claiming more Christians are killed there than in all other countries combined—at a rate “five times” higher than Muslims when population size is considered.

He added that extremists also target Muslims who reject extremist ideology, undermining the Nigerian government’s narrative that the crisis is primarily about criminality or local disputes.

With a population exceeding 230 million, Nigeria is home to a diverse mix of communities. Roughly 120 million Muslims dominate the north, while about 90 million Christians reside mostly in the south.

Nelson called for tighter oversight of U.S. aid to Nigeria, recommending that some assistance be routed through faith-based groups to reduce corruption. He also pushed for greater transparency in how Abuja manages mass abductions and ransom cases, stressing that “without transparency and outside pressure, nothing changes.”

Concern over policy reversal

Díaz-Balart criticised the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from the Trump-era list of “countries of particular concern” in 2021, saying the reversal had “clearly deadly consequences.”

Lawmakers across the Appropriations, Foreign Affairs, and Financial Services committees signalled further oversight steps as they prepare the Trump-mandated report for Congress.

Hartzler noted that Nigeria had recently taken actions that could suggest a shift in approach. She cited President Bola Tinubu’s decision to reassign about 100,000 police officers from VIP security details nationwide, describing it as “a promising start after years of neglect.”

She said this move reflected growing recognition among Nigerian leaders that violence had reached an intolerable level.

Hartzler also referenced comments by Nigeria’s Speaker of the House, who recently acknowledged the country was facing a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence.” She added that similar calls from the Nigerian House majority leader for strengthened legislative oversight suggested the government might finally be recognising the scale of the crisis.

Even so, Hartzler warned the recent actions were still inadequate. She stressed that Nigeria must demonstrate clear resolve to “quell injustice,” respond rapidly to early warnings of attacks, and embrace transparency and accountability if progress is to be meaningful.

The Nigerian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Opinion Nigeria News