A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of misrepresenting the scale of Christian persecution in Nigeria, describing the President’s recent denial of targeted killings as “completely false” and driven by political self-interest.
Moore, speaking in a Fox News interview on Sunday, said Nigerian leaders were “complicit” in the continuous attacks on Christians, citing blasphemy laws and recent convictions as evidence of systemic religious intolerance.
He referenced the case of Sunday Jackson, a Christian farmer in Adamawa sentenced to death after defending himself from an alleged killer herdsman.
“There is serious persecution in Nigeria,” Moore insisted, warning that downplaying the crisis risks enabling further violence.
His comments come ahead of a U.S. congressional hearing scheduled for Thursday, where lawmakers will examine what they describe as widespread and escalating attacks against Christians in Nigeria.
The hearing will be chaired by Congressman Chris Smith, a long-time advocate for stronger U.S. action on religious violence.
Smith, who previously pushed for sanctions against individuals linked to attacks, has called for visa restrictions and asset freezes targeting members of groups such as Miyetti Allah.
He is also urging the U.S. to classify “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in states like Plateau and Benue under the Entities of Particular Concern framework.
Senior U.S. officials — including Jonathan Pratt of the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs and Jacob McGee of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour — are expected to testify, alongside experts such as Nina Shea and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi Diocese.
Meanwhile, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has raised fresh alarm, reporting that 99 Christians were killed and 114 kidnapped between October 28 and November 11 in attacks allegedly carried out by jihadist militias.
The report was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi and human rights lawyers Joy Igboeli and Ogochukwu Obi.