United States Congressman Riley M. Moore, on Wednesday, held what he described as a “frank, honest, and productive” meeting with a high-level Nigerian government delegation in Washington, D.C., with the discussions focused on the persistent killings of Christians and the escalating terrorist threats across Nigeria.
The Nigerian delegation, led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, included the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu; Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Olufemi Oluyede, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lt Gen E. A. P. Undiendeye.
Others were Special Adviser to the NSA, Idayat Hassan; Director of Foreign Relations, ONSA, Amb Ibrahim Babani; Acting Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Nigeria, Amb Nuru Biu, and the Political and Economic Section, Embassy of Nigeria, Paul Alabi.
The delegation briefed Moore on the government’s challenges in counterterrorism operations, security assistance needs, and efforts to protect vulnerable communities amid widespread violence involving Boko Haram, ISWAP, armed militias, and other groups across the country.
Moore, in a statement posted on his X handle, however, restated the United States’ expectation for tangible progress, warning that continued violence against Christians would not be tolerated under President Donald Trump’s administration.
He said the US was prepared to expand cooperation with Nigeria but stressed that Trump’s warnings on religious persecution were “not idle threats.”
He said after the meeting, “I made it crystal clear that the United States must see tangible steps to ensure that Christians are not subject to violence, persecution, displacement, and death simply for believing in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
He added that the US was ready to work with Nigeria in combating Boko Haram, ISWAP, and what he described as “Fulani militants,” particularly in the Northeast and Middle Belt regions where attacks on Christian communities had persisted.
Moore said Congress and the Trump administration were “serious in our resolve” to end religious persecution and help dismantle terrorist networks operating in Nigeria and urged the Nigerian government to take up Washington’s “open hand of cooperation” to stem the bloodshed.
The meeting came ahead of the open hearing of the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa today, to examine President Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
The hearing, scheduled for 11:00 am in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building and available via live webcast, will be chaired by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ).
It will feature two panels of witnesses, including senior US State Department officials and Nigerian religious leaders.
The invitation to the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, sighted news correspondents, read, “You are respectfully requested to attend an open hearing of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to be held by the Subcommittee on Africa at 11:00 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.”
According to the invitation, panelists will include Senior Bureau Official of the Bureau of African Affairs, Jonathan Pratt, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Jacob McGee.
The second panel will feature the Director of the Center for Religious Freedom, Ms Nina Shea; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Nigeria; and Ms Oge Onubogu of the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
The congressional hearing is expected to review not only the scope of religious persecution in Nigeria but also potential policy responses, including targeted sanctions, humanitarian assistance, and collaboration with Nigerian authorities to prevent further violence.
