US Lawmaker Accuses Kwankwaso Of Role In killings Of Christians In Nigeria

A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has accused former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of being complicit in the killing of Christians in Nigeria.

The accusation came shortly after Kwankwaso reacted to Washington’s plan to carry out a military operation in Nigeria.

Moore, in a social media post, referenced Kwankwaso’s decision to implement Sharia law during his tenure as governor in 2000, alleging that the law enabled the persecution of Christians under the guise of blasphemy-related offences. His comments reignited debates about the role of religion and governance in northern Nigeria and the wider implications for human rights.

Kwankwaso, who had earlier responded to statements from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern,” urged diplomatic engagement rather than external military intervention. He said Nigeria’s security challenges cut across religious and ethnic lines and should not be used to divide the nation.

Moore’s comments followed Trump’s recent declaration that Nigeria faces an “existential threat” to Christianity. Trump, through his Truth Social platform, alleged that thousands of Christians had been killed by radical extremists and hinted at possible U.S. military action to stop the violence.

The Trump administration has since tasked Moore with leading an investigation into what it described as the “genocide of Christians” in Nigeria. Moore told Fox News that he would present Trump with a detailed set of policy options on how the U.S. could respond to the killings.

Reacting to the growing tension, President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom and dismissed claims of a Christian genocide. He said the Nigerian constitution guarantees equal rights to all citizens regardless of faith and that his administration continues to engage religious leaders to promote unity and peace.

Tinubu maintained that the narrative being pushed by foreign actors misrepresents Nigeria’s complex security situation and ignores ongoing efforts to combat terrorism affecting both Christians and Muslims. He said the country remains a democracy that upholds religious liberty and warned against external attempts to distort its internal realities.