A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has accused President Bola Tinubu of making false claims about the scale of Christian persecution in Nigeria, alleging that the president is “protecting his own interests” by downplaying the crisis.
In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Moore dismissed Tinubu’s assertion that “the characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” describing it as “completely false.” He said several states still enforce blasphemy laws, with some individuals facing the death penalty for alleged offences against Islam.
“I know President Tinubu is in a difficult position and trying to protect his interests there in the country,” Moore said. “But they are complicit in this to some degree or another for a statement like this.” He cited the case of Sunday Jackson, a Christian farmer in Adamawa State who was sentenced to death after defending himself from an attacking herdsman, as evidence of ongoing persecution.
Moore’s remarks come ahead of a crucial congressional hearing scheduled for Thursday, where U.S. lawmakers will review reports of widespread attacks on Christians in Nigeria. The session will be led by Congressman Chris Smith, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa. Smith has been vocal about the need for stronger U.S. action and previously introduced a resolution naming MACBAN and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as key actors in several deadly attacks. The resolution recommends visa bans and asset freezes on members of the groups and urges the White House to classify “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” under the Entities of Particular Concern framework of the International Religious Freedom Act.
The hearing will feature testimonies from Jonathan Pratt of the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs; Jacob McGee of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour; Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese; and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Meanwhile, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has alleged that 99 Christians were killed across Nigeria within the last 14 days. In a statement signed by its head, Emeka Umeagbalasi, alongside human rights lawyers Joy Igboeli and Ogochukwu Obi, the group said the killings occurred between October 28 and November 11. It added that 114 other victims were abducted by armed groups it described as jihadist militants.
