UNITED States (US) lawmaker Riley Moore has presented a congressional report to the White House recommending sweeping diplomatic and security measures aimed at addressing religious violence and insecurity in Nigeria.
Moore disclosed this in a statement posted Tuesday morning on his X handle following a meeting with senior US officials and members of congressional committees overseeing foreign affairs and appropriations.
“Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Riley M. Moore joined members of the House Committees on Appropriations and Foreign Affairs at the White House to formally present the comprehensive report outlining concrete actions to end the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and counter growing extremist violence in the region,” Moore wrote.
According to the statement, the report was formally delivered after months of investigations into “violence affecting Christian communities” and broader security challenges in Nigeria. The effort followed the US President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over religious freedom violations on October 31, 2025.
“The meeting follows President Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) on October 31, 2025. President Trump requested Congressman Moore and Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole to lead a comprehensive investigation on the persecution against Christian communities and security challenges plaguing Nigeria.
“This report is the result of months of investigation, including a bipartisan congressional fact-finding trip to Nigeria, hearings with expert witnesses, consultations with religious leaders, meetings with internally displaced persons, and engagement with senior Nigerian government officials,” he added.
Moore described the White House meeting as ‘productive’, thanking Trump for redesignating Nigeria as a CPC and for directing Congress to conduct a comprehensive review of religious persecution claims. He noted that the findings presented a “clear picture of the threat environment” and outlined accountability measures to counter extremist violence while strengthening cooperation between both countries.
Moore further proposed a series of policy actions by the US Government, including negotiating a bilateral US–Nigeria security agreement aimed at protecting vulnerable communities and dismantling extremist networks.
“Establishing a bilateral US–Nigeria security agreement to protect vulnerable Christian communities and dismantle jihadist networks, withholding certain US funds, pending demonstrable action by the Nigerian government to stop violence against Christians, Implementing sanctions and visa restrictions against individuals and groups responsible for or complicit in religious persecution, providing technical support to the Nigerian government to eliminate violence from armed Fulani militias, demanding the repeal of Sharia and blasphemy laws, working with international partners including France, Hungary, and the United Kingdom,” he added.
The Congressman also urged Nigerian authorities to deepen diplomatic relations with the US, arguing that stronger collaboration would benefit both nations and help address ongoing insecurity in the West African nation.
While US lawmakers framed the recommendations around religious persecution concerns, Nigerian authorities have repeatedly maintained that the country’s violence was driven by complex security, economic, and communal factors rather than a single religious agenda.
This development signals increasing international scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation, particularly attacks linked to insurgency, banditry, and communal conflicts that have affected multiple regions of the country.
The ICIR reported Amnesty International disclosing that 323 people in Nigeria were killed in the first 20 days of February 2026.
The Nigerian government has yet to issue an official response to the latest report as of the time of filing this report.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.
I am urgen Moore and his entourage to please revisit their report as Muslims community suffered more killings than Christians counterpart as a result of Nigeria’s Government Loosness to control the spread of Insecurity in the country, looking at the recent genocide recoded in Sokoto, Bauchi, Pndiga of Gombe and Barikin Ladi of Plateau State to mention but few has direct effect on Muslims Communities in the country. The Insecurity Context in Nigeria is beyond religious persecution, it is totally required restructuring where all these perpetuated as a results of leadership greediness and their quest to loot the country’s wealth for their personal interests. US government is therefore, needed to interven into how Nigeria Government exercises it voting process and everything that has to do with ensuring people of good ambitions have taken leadership. Thank you for the time given to Express my views.
What is the US government delaying for? They should just come, eliminate government officials linked to the genocide and take over Nigeria. The more they Delay, the more, more souls are dieing. Delay is dangerous.