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US Congressman Recounts Harrowing Experience in Nigeria, Confirms ‘Systematic Genocidal Campaign’
United States Congressman, Riley Moore, has described his recent visit to Nigeria as distressing, recounting harrowing encounters with victims of violent attacks, particularly in the Middle Belt region.
Moore last week led a congressional delegation on a fact-finding visit to Nigeria over killings in the northern part of the country.
The five-member team arrived in Nigeria last Sunday and spent several days in Benue State, meeting internally displaced persons, survivors of attacks, Christian leaders, traditional rulers, and communities affected by violence.
They also held meetings in Abuja with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi.
The delegation expected to brief President Donald Trump on their findings before the end of the month.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Moore said his trip exposed him to the human cost of insecurity in Nigeria, particularly among vulnerable communities affected by terrorism and communal violence in the North.
The West Virginia lawmaker posted the interview on his X handle on Saturday.
Speaking on his experience, Moore said he met women who had survived brutal assaults that claimed the lives of their families.
He recalled meeting a woman who watched all five of her children murdered in her presence.
“It is really heartbreaking. I met a woman who unfortunately had to witness all five of her children murdered right in front of her. I met another woman in an internally displaced persons camp who lost her husband and her two daughters, and the Fulani Islamic radicals had murdered her unborn child—they took it out of her. She survived that, and they are all living in these IDP camps.
“There is a systematic genocidal campaign by the Fulani Muslim radicals in the Middle Belt of this country to push these Christians off their ancestral land,” he said.
The US lawmaker alleged that the violence in parts of the Middle Belt amounted to a coordinated campaign against Christian communities, claiming they are being driven off their ancestral lands.
“There is a systematic genocidal campaign by the Fulani Muslim radicals in the Middle Belt of this country to push these Christians off their ancestral land,” he reiterated.
Despite the grim accounts, Moore said his delegation held what he described as a positive meeting with the Nigerian government, expressing optimism that concrete steps could follow.
“We did have a positive meeting with the Nigerian government. There are positive things coming out of that government that I think will put us on a path toward a strategic security framework and a cooperative agreement to start addressing these issues,” he said.
Moore added that the protection of Christians facing violence remained a top concern for both him and the US President, noting the broader security challenges posed by terrorist groups in other parts of the country.
“First and foremost, my concern, and the President’s concern, is for these Christians, our brothers and sisters who are being slaughtered,” he said. “But there is also the terrorist threat in the North East from Boko Haram and ISIS, who are responsible for the unwanted deaths of Christians, non-Christians, and Muslims alike,” he added.
The Congressman described Nigeria’s security crisis as multi-layered, stressing the need for a comprehensive approach that addresses both terrorism in the North East and what he termed persecution in the Middle Belt.
“The problem is two-tier, and we have to address this Christian persecution and genocide that is happening in the Middle Belt of this country,” he said.
Source: The Punch
The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 third-place playoff on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali proved the hero of the night with two crucial saves during the shootout, including one from Egyptian star Mohamed Salah.
Ademola Lookman then calmly converted the decisive penalty to secure the bronze medal —Nigeria’s ninth third-place finish in AFCON history.
With neither side able to break the deadlock in a cagey second half, the game ended 0-0, sending the contest directly to penalties.
Despite Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missing Nigeria’s first kick, Nwabali’s immediate saved from Egypt’s first two attempts shifted the momentum.
The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of the son of a former Jigawa State governor, challenging the decision of the trial court, which convicted him for failing to declare $40,000 at Kano airport.
In a unanimous decision, the apex court panel dismissed the appeal of Aminu Sule Lamido, the son of former governor Sule Lamido, for lack of merit.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Aminu on December 11, 2012, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while preparing to travel to Cairo, Egypt.
The prosecution said Aminu declared $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), but was found with an additional $40,000, which was not disclosed on his currency declaration form.
The EFCC charged him before the Federal High Court in Kano on a one-count offence of false declaration of foreign currency, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
On July 12, 2015, the court convicted Aminu and ordered him to forfeit 25 per cent of the undeclared sum to the Federal government.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Aminu approached the Court of Appeal in Kaduna to overturn the conviction and set aside the forfeiture order.
In a judgment delivered on December 7, 2015, however, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has ordered that the trial of former governor Lamido, his two sons, and others, over alleged N1.35billion fraud, should continue before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
A five-member panel of the apex court issued the directive in two unanimous judgments, in the two appeals filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the trial court, which dismissed the no-case submission filed by the Lamidos and held that the defendants had a case to answer.
Both appeals were against the July 25, 2023, judgments of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which upheld the no-case submission made by Lamido and others and struck out the 37-count charge on which they were being prosecuted, on the grounds that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case.
In the lead judgments of the Supreme Court, Justice Abubakar Umar set aside the July 25, 2023 judgments of the Court of Appeal and affirmed the earlier decision by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which overruled the no-case submissions by Lamido and others and ordered them to enter their defence.
The EFCC, in the 37-count charge, among others, accused Lamido of abusing his position as a governor between 2007 and 2015, allegedly laundering sums of money received as kickbacks from companies that were awarded contracts by the Jigawa State Government under his leadership.
The other defendants charged alongside Lamido are his two sons – Aminu and Mustapha; Aminu Wada Abubakar and their companies – Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd.
