Alleged Christian Genocide: US Congress to Hold Fresh Hearing on Nigeria
- The US Congress scheduled a fresh hearing on allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria, with witnesses billed to testify on Wednesday
- The witnesses warned in their prepared submissions that Nigeria was facing worsening insecurity and rising risks of Christian–Muslim violence
- The hearing came amid Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, even as the Nigerian government repeatedly rejected claims of systemic persecution
Legit.ng Journalist Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award winner, with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
The United States Congress will on Wednesday hold another hearing on allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria, as witnesses are expected to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The session, titled “Defending Religious Freedom Around the World,” will be jointly convened by the committee’s Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
Source: Getty Images
Ahead of the hearing, the witnesses, whose prepared submissions were published on the committee’s website, warned that Nigeria could be heading towards wider Christian–Muslim violence.
According to Vanguard, those expected to appear include, Sam Brownback, former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, the daughter of Pastor Ezra Jin, and Dr Stephen F. Schneck, former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Brownback makes strong claims about Nigeria
In his prepared testimony, Brownback alleged that extremist groups were focusing on Nigeria as part of a broader religious campaign.
“Radical, militant Islam continues its purification efforts throughout the MENA region and beyond. Syria and Nigeria are key focus areas of opportunity for them in their quest for dominance, excluding all other faiths, even others within Islam,” he said.
He also claimed that religious violence was rising across Africa.
“Early warning signs of a Muslim-on-Christian war are brewing across Africa,” he said, adding that “Nigeria is the deadliest place on the planet to be a Christian.”
Brownback further alleged that Nigeria’s government was receiving support from countries including China, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Schneck links persecution to weak governance
In his own submission, Schneck argued that insecurity and weak governance often create the conditions for religious persecution.
“Failing or failed states are locations for the emergence or fostering of militarized groups — insurgent, ethnic, or religious — that can pose a threat to freedom of religion,” he said.
He added that banditry and organised crime also target religious communities in such settings.
Schneck listed Nigeria among the countries where those conditions were already visible.
“Nigeria, Syria, and Sudan are current examples of such conditions threatening freedom of religion or belief. Both Nigeria and Syria are experiencing high levels of societal insecurity and their respective governments have been unable to halt widespread violence against communities of faith,” he said.
Concern over US State Department delays
On his part, Schneck also criticised what he described as delays and gaps in US government reporting and designations on religious freedom.
“The State Department has still not made its designations of Countries of Particular Concern, Special Watch List, or Entities of Particular Concern. President Biden’s 2023 designations were to have lapsed at the end of 2025,” he said.
He added that Nigeria currently remains the only country listed.
“Apparently, Nigeria, thanks to its unique designation by President Trump, is the only country in the world currently designated as a Country of Particular Concern and there are no designated Special Watch List countries or Entities of Particular Concern,” Schneck stated.
“This is very concerning at a time when countries like China and Iran are engaged in ever more repressive actions against people of faith,” he added.
Source: AFP
The fresh hearing is coming after Nigeria was redesignated in 2025 as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged violations of religious freedom.
That move was accompanied by threats of possible US military intervention.
The US later carried out air strikes on terrorist hideouts in Sokoto on Christmas Day.
Nigerian government rejected persecution claims
Despite the repeated allegations, the Federal Government has consistently rejected claims of systemic persecution of Christians.
Officials have maintained that insecurity affects Nigerians of all faiths, not just one religious group.
In a related development, the report recalled that on November 20, 2025, the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, hosted Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, at the Pentagon.
The meeting focused on coordinated strategies to tackle Nigeria’s security crisis.
Ribadu also disclosed in December that a US congressional delegation visited Abuja as part of continued security consultations between both countries.
US lawmaker meets Plateau governor
Legit.ng earlier reported that a United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has met with the Governor of Plateau state, Caleb Mutfwang, amid renewed international attention on alleged attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Moore, who is a member of the US House of Representatives, disclosed the meeting in a post shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, February 3.
According to him, the engagement focused on security concerns, economic cooperation, and the protection of vulnerable populations, particularly Christians.
Trump admits Muslims are also being killed
Recall that Legit.ng reported that President Donald Trump acknowledged that Muslims are also victims of violence in Nigeria during a New York Times interview.
The American President has previously focused on Christian victims in Nigeria's ongoing conflicts.
Trump asserts that Christians remain the primary victims despite acknowledging broader religious violence.
Source: Legit.ng
