A UNITED States lawmaker Riley Moore claims Nigerian Christians are killed at 5-to-1 ratio in Nigeria compared to non-Christians in the nation. He said the U.S. will not keep quiet at such genocide against people of his faith.
Mr Moore tweeted this on his X handle on Sunday, thanking President Donald for designating Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern.’
“Christians in Nigeria are murdered at a 5-to-1 rate compared to other religions. The U.S. will not turn a blind eye. Thank you,@POTUS, for designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. Our investigation is underway.”
U.S. Congressman Riley Moore
The post attracted a comment from a senior counsel and global religious freedom advocate, Mr Sean Nelson, who responded in a tweet, “Thank you@RepRileyMoore for setting the facts straight on Christian persecution in Nigeria, and referring to court cases like Sunday Jackson’s & Yahaya Sharif-Aminu’s, that are clearly severe violations.”
Mr Moore, a member of the House of Representatives in the U.S., is one of the most vocal voices against an alleged Christian genocide in Africa’s most populous nation. He, Tom Cole, Bill Huizenga and Ted Cruz have alleged that there is Christian genocide in Nigeria, insisting that the country and its leadership should be punished for failing to act against it.
U.S. President Donald Trump, 2 weeks ago, took decisive decisions against Nigeria over an alleged genocide against Christians and the government’s inability to contain it. He first redesignated Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ and followed it up with a threat to cut off aid and invade the nation to “wipe out Islamic terrorists.”
READ ALSO: Trump appoints 2 U.S. legislators to lead investigation into ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria
His second post was backed by several American Republicans and officials of his government, including his Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth, who replied: “Yes sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
Ongoing investigations
President Trump appointed two members of the House of Representatives to lead an investigation into Christian genocide in Nigeria, Economy Post earlier reported.
According to the U.S.-based Washington Post, Mr Trump has appointed House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) and Rep. Riley Moore (R-West Virginia) to lead the investigation.
The newspaper quoted a White House official, who reiterated the threat of military intervention in Nigeria. The official insisted that Nigeria was facing “a complex array of threats from terrorist groups and violent extremist organisations that is affecting wide portions of the country.”
The United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa is alsoset to hold an open hearing on November 20 over the genocide allegation and Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern.’
The panel will include Senior Bureau Official of the Bureau of African Affairs, Mr Jonathan Pratt, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Mr Jacob McGee. Some Nigerian religous leaders are also invited.
Nigerian witnesses
A March 12, 2025, document seen by Economy Post containing a witness account of Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the diocese of Makurdi, quoted the clergman as saying, “Militant Fulani herdsman are terrorists. They steal and vandalize, they kill and boast about it, they kidnap and rape, and they enjoy total impunity from the elected officials. None of them have been arrested and brought to justice.”
READ ALSO: Nigeria risks sanctions, investor backlash over Trump ‘country of concern’ tag
According to former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof Kingsley Moghalu, “US President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ over the killings of Christians by Islamist terrorists, followed by an explicit threat of military intervention, raises fundamental questions about Nigerian sovereignty and global standing.”
Prof Moghalu added, “The Nigerian government has politely reminded Washington that the security crisis in the country’s northern regions remains Abuja’s sovereign responsibility. But some think President Bola Tinubu’s administration — like others before it over the past 15 years — has failed in its duty to protect Nigerian civilians irrespective of their religion from daily killings by radical Islamists. Tens of thousands of Nigerians, both Christians and Muslims, have been murdered by terrorists such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, as well as violent Fulani herdsmen, over the past decade.”
General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has urged President Bola Tinubu and the country’s service chiefs to move decisively against insecurity to eliminate terrorists and their sponsors.
“This is not the time for joking. This is not the time for drama. This is not the time for semantics. This is not the time to begin to argue is it suicide or kidnapping or whatever name they call it? And this is not the time to say, ‘Ah, it’s not Christians alone, Muslims are also involved.’ The point is, people are dying. Innocent people are dying,” Pastor Adeboye said during the November Holy Ghost Service at the Redemption Camp.
