US Congress Faults FG, Declares Nigerian Christians Are Being ‘Targeted for Death’

• Senior US lawmakers have dismissed Nigeria’s claims on religious violence, insisting new findings show Christians are being deliberately targeted in ongoing attacks across the country.

The controversy surrounding alleged mass killings of Christians in Nigeria has resurfaced powerfully in Washington, as senior members of the United States Congress again faulted the Federal Government’s position and insisted that available evidence points to clear religious targeting.

The latest confrontation followed a joint briefing held by the House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where lawmakers reviewed fresh findings on Nigeria’s insecurity. Both committees warned that the situation demands urgent international attention.

The session formed part of a wider congressional investigation ordered by former US President Donald Trump. He directed Congress to compile a detailed report on the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria and recommend actions the US government could take.

House Appropriations Vice Chair, Mario Díaz-Balart, who led the meeting, said the briefings so far reveal serious lapses in Nigeria’s security response. He noted that the committee’s final report would advise Washington on possible diplomatic steps and security measures.

One of the strongest warnings came from Vicky Hartzler, Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. She told lawmakers that “religious freedom [is] under siege,” citing incidents where “radical Muslims kill entire Christian villages and burn churches.” She referenced the abduction of schoolchildren and rising attacks in remote communities, describing the violations as widespread, brutal, and overwhelmingly directed at Christians.
According to her, Christians are targeted “at a 2.2 to 1 rate” compared to Muslims.

Hartzler acknowledged some recent actions by the Nigerian government, including President Bola Tinubu’s withdrawal of about 100,000 police officers from VIP protection duties, calling it a “promising start.” However, she warned that the country is entering “a coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence” and pushed for sanctions on Nigerian officials believed to be complicit.

She also urged stricter conditions on US aid, enhanced oversight, and a Government Accountability Office review. A key priority, she said, was for the Nigerian government to reclaim villages overtaken by armed groups so displaced families could return.

Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations added that claims extremists attack Muslims and Christians equally were a “myth.” He argued that Boko Haram and similar terror networks operate primarily for religious purposes and criticised the Nigerian military as “too corrupt and incompetent” to dismantle the extremists without external pressure.

Obadare called for disbanding armed groups enforcing Islamic law in rural areas and urged immediate government responses to early-warning alerts.

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Sean Nelson of ADF International described Nigeria as “the deadliest country in the world for Christians,” noting that more Christians are killed in Nigeria than in all other countries combined. He said extremists also target Muslims who reject their ideology and called for closer monitoring of how US aid is utilised, including transparency around ransom payments and rescue efforts for kidnap victims.

Díaz-Balart criticised the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from the list of “countries of particular concern” in 2021, arguing that the move had “clearly deadly consequences.” He pledged that Congress would intensify oversight as Trump’s ordered report nears completion.

Despite acknowledging a few improved security steps, Hartzler stressed that Nigeria must demonstrate clear intent to “quell injustice,” respond swiftly to early signs of violence, and ensure accountability for security failures.

The Nigerian Embassy in Washington did not respond to inquiries at the time of filing this report.