Abuja / Washington — December 3, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
In a closed-door joint briefing convened recently by the United States House Appropriations and Foreign Affairs Committees, U.S. lawmakers sharply rejected the federal government’s narrative that Nigeria’s deadly violence is indiscriminate, insisting instead that the attacks constitute systematic, targeted killings of Christian communities.
At the session, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Vicky Hartzler told legislators that “religious freedom is under siege,” citing the abduction of more than 300 children and documented cases where “radical Muslims kill entire Christian villages and burn churches.” She asserted that Christians across the country are being targeted at a rate 2.2 to 1 compared with Muslims.
During the briefing, Christian-rights advocates and security analysts urged the United States to adopt a tougher stance, recommending targeted sanctions, visa bans, and freezes on assets of individuals believed complicit, as well as conditioning future U.S. aid and humanitarian assistance on transparent protection measures for Christian communities.
One of the key critics of the Nigerian government’s handling of the issue, U.S. Representative Bill Huizenga, described the government’s efforts as grossly inadequate. Though he dismissed the idea of an imminent U.S. military intervention, he argued that economic pressure and sanctions could force more compliance, warning that Nigeria risked tragedies similar to past genocides if the violence continued unchecked.
The briefing responds to earlier moves by the administration of Donald Trump, who re-designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over religious persecution and ordered Congress to prepare a comprehensive report on the alleged massacres.
In Abuja, however, the response has been dismissive. The government has rejected claims of Christian genocide as “based on faulty data” and argued that insecurity and violence in Nigeria result from a mix of terrorism, banditry, communal clashes and organised crime that affect both Christians and Muslims.
Officials have warned that framing the crisis purely in religious terms risks inflaming sectarian tensions, undermining national unity, and misrepresenting the complexity of Nigeria’s security challenges.
As the U.S. Congress proceeds with its investigation, many Nigerians are watching closely — concerned that external pressure and international scrutiny might produce diplomatic tension, while victims and civil-society groups hope it will translate into stronger protection measures and international accountability for perpetrators.