The US Congress has stepped up scrutiny of what lawmakers describe as escalating religious persecution and mass atrocities against Christians in Nigeria, following a directive from President Donald J. Trump for a full investigation into the “killing of Christians” in the country.
Experts warn of worsening religious freedom crisisHouse of Representatives will present conclusions to President Trump
At a joint congressional briefing in Washington, DC on Tuesday, senior members of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee met with religious freedom experts to examine the growing violence and the Nigerian government’s response.
The roundtable was led by House Appropriations Vice Chairman and Homeland Security Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), along with Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV).
Diaz-Balart said the committee’s responsibility extends beyond appropriations and encompasses moral responsibility, stating that “no one should live in fear because of how they worship. Defending religious freedom around the world is both a moral duty and a vital American interest. As chairman of the subcommittee that funds U.S. national security interests and foreign policy priorities, I remain committed to advancing policies that protect the freedom to live by one’s faith without fear of violence and retaliation.”
He added that the FY26 funding bill already addresses these concerns and highlighted his intention to “strengthen these efforts by passing a full-year funding measure, which is essential to advancing an America First agenda.”
Rep. Aderholt echoed the alarm, insisting that rising violence in Nigeria has reached critical levels. “The selective persecution of Christians in Nigeria is a crisis that cannot be ignored,” he said. “We must firmly support Nigeria’s Christian communities and all persecuted believers around the world, and I commend our collaborative efforts to provide the President with the information necessary to confront this growing tragedy.”
Representative Moore warned that the world must no longer ignore the human cost. “Our brothers and sisters in Christ are being persecuted and massacred in Nigeria simply for professing their faith,” he said. “I thank President Díaz-Balart for convening this critical debate. The world will no longer turn a blind eye to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) described the situation as a deliberate campaign aimed at religious cleansing, saying, “This is not simply ‘intercommunal violence’ or a ‘resource conflict,’ as many claim. This is a targeted campaign of religious cleansing.”
He singled out Boko Haram, the Islamic State’s West Africa Province and radicalized Fulani militants as groups seeking to “expel Christians from their ancestral lands in the Middle Belt and impose a radical Islamist ideology.”
Mast called for concrete action, saying the United States must demand that Nigeria “disarm these militias, return displaced families to their homes, and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) delivered one of the harshest warnings, saying, “The world’s most brutal and murderous anti-Christian persecution is occurring in Nigeria, ground zero for religious violence.”
He said Christians and moderate Muslims “live under the constant threat of murder, rape and torture” and accused the Nigerian government of allowing perpetrators to operate “with complete impunity.”
Smith said he was confident that, under President Trump’s leadership, “the United States will hold the Nigerian government accountable for its complicity in the rampant religious persecution occurring within its borders… We must act quickly and decisively to save more lives.”
Experts warn of worsening religious freedom crisis
The experts invited to the roundtable reinforced the legislators’ concerns.
Honorable. Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, cited recent attacks, including the Nov. 22 kidnapping of “303 children and 12 teachers… at St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in Niger State.” He added that gunmen recently “sieged a church and kidnapped several innocent people and killed two others” in Kwara state.
Hartzler said Muslims are also victims of extremist violence, noting that in August “bandits kidnapped more than 100 people… from a mosque in Zamfara state and killed 27 worshipers at a mosque in Katsina state.”
He warned: “Religious freedom in Nigeria has been under siege in 2025 and, unfortunately, appears to be getting worse… No matter the religion of the victim, all killings must stop and the government must take decisive action now.”
Hartzler stressed the importance of restoring Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and urged Washington to pressure Abuja to improve accountability and transparency. “Many times, local villagers hear of an imminent attack and ask for protection, but their cries for help are ignored. This is unacceptable,” he said.
Sean Nelson, senior attorney at Alliance Defending Freedom International, recounted heartbreaking testimonies from Christian victims. “Our cases have involved Christians unjustly imprisoned by Sharia courts… Christians kidnapped and tortured… girls separated from their parents and forced into marriage,” he said.
He described visiting villages attacked by militants and witnessing “beheaded shepherds, mass graves, widows and orphans, burned churches and homes, destroyed farmland… and the constant feeling that Christians are helpless.”
Nelson criticized Nigerian officials for downplaying the religious dimensions of the violence, adding: “Nigeria maintains and enforces one of the most draconian blasphemy laws in the world. These laws inspire terrible mob violence, including against Christians like Deborah Yakubu and Rhoda Jatau.”
Dr. Ebenezer Obadare, Senior Fellow in African Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Nigeria’s biggest threat is jihadist terrorism. “The deadliest and most serious threat facing the Nigerian State today is jihadist terrorism, perpetrated by the Islamist group Boko Haram,” he said.
He insisted that no solution will work unless Boko Haram is “radically degraded and ultimately eliminated.”
He also said recent American pressure has spurred some actions by Nigerian authorities, including “ordering airstrikes, recruiting 30,000 additional police and declaring a national security emergency.”
Obadare urged Washington to continue applying pressure, saying the United States should help Nigeria “neutralize Boko Haram” while pressuring President Tinubu to “make sharia law unconstitutional” in northern states and “dissolve the various hisbah groups” that enforce Islamic law.
House of Representatives will present conclusions to President Trump
The House Appropriations Committee is preparing a comprehensive report for President Trump detailing recommendations on how Congress can support efforts to protect vulnerable religious groups in Nigeria and confront extremist violence.
According to congressional leaders, the United States intends to remain deeply committed to addressing what they unanimously described as one of the world’s most serious religious freedom crises.