US Congress Probes Nigeria Religious Violence Claims

US lawmakers will meet on Thursday to examine fresh claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria after President Donald Trump re-listed the country as a Country of Particular Concern under American religious freedom laws.

The hearing is expected to shape Washington’s next steps as tensions over faith-based attacks draw global attention.

The session will be led by Chris Smith, head of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, who has long raised alarms about rising violence in Nigerian communities. He earlier pushed a resolution that accused armed groups of targeting Christians and called for tougher US action. In that proposal, he named the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as groups linked to the unrest and backed sanctions such as visa bans and asset freezes for individuals involved. He also urged US authorities to place Fulani-Ethnic Militias in Benue and Plateau on the Entities of Particular Concern list.

Lawmakers say the upcoming hearing will examine accusations that radical Islamist groups are attacking Christian communities, as well as the effect of Trump’s renewed designation and what response the US State Department should take. They also plan to look closely at claims that Nigerian authorities have not done enough to stop the violence.

The first panel will include senior US government officials Jonathan Pratt from the State Department’s Africa bureau and Jacob McGee from the bureau overseeing democracy and human rights. They are expected to outline the administration’s assessment of the crisis and how US policy could shift.

A second panel will bring perspectives from experts and faith leaders. Among them are Nina Shea of the Centre for Religious Freedom, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Diocese who has spoken about attacks in Benue communities, and Oge Onubogu of the Africa Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

While some US lawmakers and advocacy groups insist that Christians in parts of the Middle Belt and North-West are being deliberately targeted, Nigerian officials reject the accusation. They argue the violence comes from terrorism, banditry, and clashes over land, not a campaign aimed at any faith group.