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Alleged Christian Genocide: US Lawmakers Fault Tinubu’s Govt
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United States of America lawmakers have sharply contradicted the Nigerian government’s position on the ongoing massacres in the country, describing the violence as “escalating,” “targeted,” and overwhelmingly directed at Christians during a rare joint congressional briefing on Tuesday.
The closed-door session – convened by House Appropriations, Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart, as part of a Trump-ordered investigation – examined recent killings and what Congress calls Abuja’s “deeply inadequate” response.
President Trump has asked lawmakers, led by Reps. Riley Moore and Tom Cole, to compile a report on persecution of Nigerian Christians and has even floated the possibility of U.S. military action against Islamist groups responsible for the attacks.
At the briefing, Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, warned that “religious freedom [is] under siege” in Nigeria, citing mass abductions of schoolchildren and assaults in which “radical Muslims kill entire Christian villages [and] burn churches.” She said abuses were “rampant” and “violent,” claiming Christians are targeted “at a 2.2 to 1 rate” compared with Muslims.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s recent move to reassign 100,000 police officers from VIP protection, Hartzler said the country is entering a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence.” She urged targeted sanctions, visa bans, asset freezes and tighter conditions on U.S. aid, insisting Abuja must retake villages seized from Christian communities so displaced widows and children can return home.
The strongest rebuke came from Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations, who dismissed Abuja’s narrative that the killings are not religiously motivated. He called the idea that extremists attack Muslims and Christians equally a “myth,” stressing the groups operate “for one reason and one reason only: religion.” Higher Muslim casualty figures, he argued, reflect geography, not equal targeting.
Obadare described Boko Haram as fundamentally anti-democratic and accused the Nigerian military of being “too corrupt and incompetent” to defeat jihadist networks without external pressure. He urged Washington to push Nigeria to disband armed religious militias, confront security-sector corruption and respond swiftly to early warnings.
Sean Nelson of ADF International called Nigeria “the deadliest country in the world for Christians,” claiming more Christians are killed there than in all other countries combined and at a rate “five times” higher than Muslims when adjusted for population. He said extremists also kill Muslims who reject violent ideologies, undermining Abuja’s argument that the crisis is driven mainly by crime or communal disputes.
He pressed for tighter oversight on U.S. aid, recommending that some assistance be routed through faith-based groups to avoid corruption. Without “transparency and outside pressure,” he said, “nothing changes.”
Díaz-Balart criticised the Biden administration’s reversal of Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” in 2021, saying the decision had “clearly deadly consequences.” Lawmakers from the Appropriations, Foreign Affairs and Financial Services committees signaled further oversight actions as they prepare the Trump-directed report.
Hartzler pointed to recent comments by Nigeria’s Speaker of the House acknowledging a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence,” calling it a rare moment of candor. She also welcomed the redeployment of police officers as “a promising start after years of neglect.”
But she stressed that these gestures are far from sufficient, insisting the Nigerian government must demonstrate a real commitment to “quell injustice,” act swiftly on early warnings, and embrace transparency.
The Nigerian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to source.
Headlines
Wike Begins Money-for-Vote Campaign, Dangles N10m Bounty for Abuja Councillors to Reelect Tinubu
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has introduced what observers view as a novel dimension to Nigeria’s electoral process as he sensationally promised a N10 million cash reward to every councillor who “delivers” his ward for President Bola Tinubu and All Progressives Congress candidates at the 2027 general election.
Wike made the declaration at a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting in Kwali Area Council, attended by traditional rulers, political stakeholders and residents.
The minister, according to Channels TV, urged councillors to mobilise residents and community groups to guarantee victory for the APC in their wards, attaching a price tag to electoral success.
“Any councillor that delivers his ward will get N10 million reward. Therefore, go and meet your leaders, go and meet your youth groups, go and consult with associations. Let’s deliver our ward to Mr President,” Wike reportedly announced.
The statement has triggered concerns over vote-buying, inducement of grassroots officials and the weaponisation of public office to compromise the 2027 polls.
Critics argue that dangling N10 million per ward to elected councillors blurs the line between legitimate mobilisation and financial inducement, reducing the election to a transactional contest where delivery is rewarded in cash.
With months to the general elections, the promise raises fresh questions about whether the will of voters will count, or whether wards will be delivered through coercion, compromise and cash.
Observers warn that when councillors – the closest elected officials to the people – are placed on a bounty, the stage is set for intimidation of opponents, manipulation of results and rigging at the polling unit level.
The development is being seen as part of a growing pattern of desperation within the political class to secure victory at all costs, even if it means monetising the electoral process and compromising its integrity before the first ballot is cast.
The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has declined to endorse Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, for another term as head of the National Assembly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Yilwadta said he has no preferred candidate for the position, insisting that the decision would rest entirely with senators elected into the next National Assembly.
He made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
Asked whether the APC would return Akpabio as Senate President if he wins re-election, Yilwatda responded: “Let’s wait for the election first. I don’t have anybody in mind. The Senate will determine who they want to make the Senate President.”
His response comes despite growing support for Akpabio’s bid to retain the position beyond the current legislative term.
In October, senators publicly backed Akpabio’s return as President of the 11th Senate, with some lawmakers declaring that there would be no vacancy in the position.
Akpabio, who has led the Senate since June 2023, is seeking another term in the National Assembly.
However, Yilwatda’s remarks suggest that the APC leadership is not publicly committing itself to any candidate for the Senate presidency before the elections.
The Senate President is elected by members of the upper legislative chamber, meaning Akpabio would still need the support of his colleagues to retain the position even if he wins re-election.
During the same interview, Yilwatda also defended President Bola Tinubu’s physical fitness ahead of the 2027 presidential election and accused opposition parties of relying on blackmail during political campaigns.
The Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, has warned Governor Chukwuma Soludo not to commit treachery against the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the name of politics.
Umeh pointedly warned Soludo that his unwarranted attacks on Peter Obi would lead to a fight.
The lawmaker issued the warning while speaking at an unnamed gathering in the State, which was captured in a viral video.
Umeh unapologetically said any Igbo person who refuses to vote for Obi is an enemy of the race.
“People are saying that we have to support another person; if we do that, we are destroying ourselves. I’m an Igbo activist, and you can hear my voice in the Senate on all issues of national importance and particularly those that affect the Igbo.
“Peter is our conscience in this election. Any Igbo man who stands up to say we will not vote for Peter Obi is an enemy of the Igbo people, no matter who the person is.
“Nobody can try it here; I have been hearing a lot of things going on in this State. This government; I helped in installing it; nobody came here to be Governor of Anambra State since 2003 without my input. This one that his serving; I was a principal contributor to his ascending that office; he is holding that office in trust for all of us.
“Anything he does in that office, he must discharge it with honour and nobility, and it’s not by sabotaging our own brother.
“I’m saying it so that anybody who sees him can tell me that we don’t want to fight, but he should not commit what is called an abomination by wanting to destroy his brother in the name of politics.
“Nobody on the side is saying support Peter Obi. Everybody on the other side is saying support Tinubu. But we are saying let us stand for the truth. Peter Obi; this is the time, and if he makes it, the Igbo have made it.”
