Date: May 16, 2026 l By Jan Porch
A United States congressman has called on President Donald Trump to take what he described as “forceful action” to protect Christians in Nigeria, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s government of failing to stop ongoing attacks in parts of the country.
Republican Congressman Riley Moore made the remarks while reacting to recent deadly attacks in Plateau State and other parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, where armed violence has continued to claim lives and displace communities.
According to Moore, the Nigerian government has not responded aggressively enough to repeated warnings about attacks targeting Christian communities. He criticized Nigerian authorities for allegedly responding more quickly to regional security issues outside Nigeria than to violence occurring within the country itself.
“Christians continue to be explicitly targeted for their faith in Nigeria,” Moore said while urging the Trump administration to intervene more directly. He specifically referenced attacks in Plateau State, where communities gathered for burial ceremonies were reportedly attacked by armed gunmen.
Moore, who participated in a U.S. delegation visit to Nigeria focused on alleged religious persecution last year, claimed that Nigeria’s security agencies had received intelligence warnings before some of the attacks occurred. He accused the Tinubu administration of failing to adequately protect vulnerable communities.
The comments add to growing tensions between Washington and Abuja under Trump’s second administration. Since late 2025, Trump has repeatedly criticized Nigeria over violence affecting Christian communities and previously warned that the United States could take military action if the Nigerian government failed to improve security conditions.
In December 2025, the United States carried out strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria following agreements with Nigerian authorities. The operation marked the first known direct U.S. military intervention inside Nigeria since the country’s independence.
The latest calls for stronger action also come shortly after the United States and Nigerian forces jointly announced the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior Islamic State commander operating in the Lake Chad Basin region. Both Trump and Tinubu described the operation as a major counterterrorism success.
Nigeria’s government has consistently rejected accusations that Christians are being specifically targeted for genocide. Officials argue that extremist violence, banditry and insurgency affect both Muslims and Christians across different parts of the country.
Security analysts and human rights organizations have also cautioned against oversimplifying Nigeria’s security crisis as purely religious. Research groups including ACLED and several international observers have stated that both Christian and Muslim civilians have suffered heavily from attacks carried out by Boko Haram, ISWAP, armed bandits and communal militias.
Nonetheless, violence in Plateau State and parts of central Nigeria has intensified international attention on the country’s security challenges. Recent attacks in farming communities have led to mass burials, displacement and rising political pressure on the Tinubu administration to improve security responses nationwide.