Another U.S. lawmaker, Riley M. Moore, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s government of “downplaying” the violent massacre of 7,000 Christians, citing “reports that corrupt cells of the Nigerian government may be complicit, and even directly involved, in some of these attacks”.
In a letter addressed to U.S. state secretary Marco Rubio, Mr Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives, urged President Donald Trump’s administration to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern and halt arms sales and “all associated technical support until the Nigerian government demonstrates it is sufficiently committed to ending this reign of persecution and slaughter”.
“The Nigerian government has sought to downplay the genocide of Christians, arguing that Nigeria has a broader issue with terrorism that affects people of all faiths,” Mr Moore said.
He added, “While Nigerians of all faiths face terrorism and death at the hands of extremists, Christians are far and away the most targeted for persecution and violence. Additionally, this violence stems almost exclusively from Muslim groups and is explicitly anti-Christian. The attempt to diminish these facts does not speak well of the Nigerian government, nor does the prevalence of corruption that is complicit with terrorist acts.”
The lawmaker, who described Nigeria as the headquarters of no less than 22 Islamic terror groups with links to ISIS and other broader networks, said, “Muslim extremist groups such as ISIS-West Africa, Ansaru, and Boko Haram are major perpetrators. Just last week, Boko Haram ravaged Kirawa, Nigeria, displacing thousands. But just as concerning are reports that corrupt cells of the Nigerian government may be complicit, and even directly involved, in some of these attacks.”
Mr Moore pointed out that the sheer number of Christians “who suffer persecution daily for their faith, including the staggering number who have been murdered for proclaiming Jesus Christ as their saviour, is horrific”.
“More than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2025 already, an average of 35 murders per day. That includes at least 50 Christians brutally martyred on Palm Sunday and another 200 killed in June. This is consistent with reports from Open Doors that more Christians are killed every year in Nigeria than the rest of the world combined,” said the congressman. “These relentless persecutions have continued for years and show no signs of abating.”
He urged the Trump government to “take immediate action to address the systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians in Nigeria”.
The American lawmaker highlighted the impact of the Boko Haram insurgency on Christian communities and churches, saying that since 2015, at least 250 Catholic clergy have been attacked, in addition to another 350 clergy from other denominations.
“On Ash Wednesday this year, a priest in north-central Nigeria was kidnapped and brutally murdered,” Mr Moore stated. “Between the Boko Haram uprising in July 2009 and September 2025, 19,100 Christian churches in Nigeria have been attacked or destroyed, representing an average of 1,200 churches per year, 100 per month, or more than three per day. In addition, at least 850 Christians are currently being held for ransom in jihadist camps in extreme conditions. These individuals are tortured or killed if ransom isn’t paid. Reports estimate at least 15 million people have been displaced by the rampant acts of violence and terror in Nigeria. Simply put, this must end.”
Mr Moore’s letter nudging Mr Rubio comes amid a heated debate on the killing of Christians in Nigeria, following Senator Ted Cruz’s push for the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act” that would target government officials facilitating the murder of Christians and implementation of “blasphemy laws” with sanctions.
Tinubu’s government has repeatedly debunked the claims that Nigerian Christians are specifically targeted by terrorists.
“Let me also say this clearly, Nigeria is a proud, sovereign nation built on the faith and resilience of its people. Here, no faith is under siege, no community is excluded. Our churches, mosques, and traditional shrines stand side by side, not as rivals, but as symbols of the unity that binds us,” said Tinubu in Plateau over the weekend.
”We must never allow outsiders to tell us who we are or sow division among us. We are Nigerians, and we will stand together. Nigeria will not accept lectures from those who seek to profit from our divisions. No one loves this country more than Nigerians themselves, and no one will define us except us,” he added.
PG report
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