US House backs amendment to suspend all aid to Nigeria pending action on insecurity

MEMBERS of the US House of Representatives have approved an amendment that would increase the withholding of US assistance to Nigeria from 50 percent to 100 percent until the Nigerian government demonstrates effective action to prevent violence and hold perpetrators accountable.

The amendment was introduced on Wednesday by Gregory Steube, who represents Florida’s 17th congressional district. It was subsequently adopted by lawmakers through a voice vote.

The House had earlier proposed in April to withhold half of the funds allocated to Nigeria until the US secretary of state certifies that the Nigerian government has taken meaningful steps to curb violence and respond to attacks across the country.

Speaking in support of the amendment, Steube argued that retaining access to half of the funding effectively rewards the Nigerian government despite what he described as its failure to protect its citizens.

READ ALSO: US report links 30,000 Fulani militants to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity

“I rise in strong support for my amendment to increase the withholding threshold for assistance to Nigeria, from 50 percent to 100 percent, while keeping in place benchmarks that demand Nigeria take effective steps to address the violence and persecution that continue to devastate the country,” he said.

Steube alleged that Nigeria has endured years of violence that the country’s “corrupt government has failed to address,” adding that Christians and other religious minorities have increasingly faced attacks by extremist groups operating with impunity.

He claimed that Christian women and girls continue to be abducted, assaulted, tortured and killed, while churches have been destroyed and entire communities wiped out.

According to the lawmaker, if the conditions attached to US assistance justify withholding half of the funds, they should equally justify suspending the entire allocation. He argued that American taxpayer money should not be directed to governments that fail to uphold religious freedom, confront terrorism or protect vulnerable populations.

Steube also said it was difficult to justify continued foreign assistance to Nigeria at a time of worsening insecurity and as the United States’ national debt approaches $40 trillion, adding that the amendment would ensure US aid is used to advance American values.

In 2025, US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over allegations of Christian persecution before later authorising a missile strike on Nigerian territory on Christmas Day.

Despite those tensions, Nigeria and the United States have since entered into a military partnership focused on combating terrorist groups operating in the country’s northern region.