US Congressman Accuses Tinubu of Complacency in Christian Persecution in Nigeria

• US Congressman Riley Moore has criticised President Bola Tinubu and his cabinet, accusing the Nigerian government of complacency in the alleged killing of Christians across northern states, despite the president’s denial of the claims.

A United States Congressman, Riley Moore, has openly condemned President Bola Tinubu and members of his cabinet for denying allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria. Speaking on Fox News on Sunday, Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd District, reiterated concerns about the Nigerian government’s perceived complacency regarding attacks on Christians in several northern states.

His remarks came in response to President Tinubu’s denial of the claims, which had previously led the US to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, triggering threats of military intervention and potential aid termination by then-US President Donald Trump. In a statement, Tinubu said, “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality. Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it.”

Moore, however, countered the president’s statement, highlighting existing blasphemy laws in some Nigerian states. He cited the case of Sunday Jackson, a Christian farmer in Adamawa State who killed a Fulani herdsman, Ardo Bawuro, in self-defence on his farm. The Nigerian Supreme Court upheld Jackson’s death sentence on March 7, 2025, a move Moore described as evidence of severe religious persecution.

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Moore said, “People who are facing the death penalty right now for blasphemy against Islam… There’s a person, currently right now who is held in prison for defending himself from an attack from a Muslim militant – from the Fulani tribe. He defended himself and he’s facing the death penalty. So is serious persecution happening in Nigeria… and I know the president Tinubu is in a difficult position and trying to protect his interest there in the country but there is complacency in this, in one degree or the other with statements like this.”

The US lawmaker’s intervention adds to growing international scrutiny of Nigeria’s handling of religious conflicts, raising questions about the country’s adherence to human rights and protection of minority communities.