United States Congress lawmakers on Tuesday in Washington DC held a meeting called by President Donald Trump over the ongoing kidnappings and the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Trump told the House Appropriations Committee to probe alleged killing of Christians in Nigeria and report their findings to the White House.
House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart led the meeting which saw members of the House Appropriations and House Foreign Affairs Committees alongside religious freedom experts attending.
Reps Robert Aderholt, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Chris Smith, US Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler, Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson, and Dr Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations were part of the meeting.
Díaz-Balart told the gathering that there should be a global religious freedom as “both a moral obligation and an essential American interest,” adding that “no one should have to fear for their safety because of how they choose to worship.”
He said he is “committed to advancing policies that protect the freedom to live according to one’s faith without fear of violence and retribution.”
According to Díaz-Balart, his FY26 funding bill addresses this commitment, added that he plans to do more by passing a full-year funding measure which he said was critical to advancing the America First agenda.
Similarly, Aderholt said the situation in Nigeria was “a crisis that can’t be ignored. We must stand firmly with Nigeria’s Christian communities and all persecuted believers worldwide, and I commend our collaborative efforts to provide the President with the information needed to confront this growing tragedy.”
Moore linked the meeting to Trump’s recent re-designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, saying “our brothers and sisters in Christ are being persecuted and slaughtered in Nigeria simply for professing their faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The world will no longer turn a blind eye to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.”
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mast described the violence as part of a broader campaign, saying “this is a targeted campaign of religious cleansing,” he said, adding that extremist groups aim to “drive Christians out of their ancestral lands in the Middle Belt.”
He urged the Nigerian government to “disarm these militias, return displaced families to their homes, and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Speaking during the meeting, House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee Chairman Smith said Nigeria was “the ground zero of religious violence,” adding that Christians and moderate Muslims face “the constant threat of murder, rape, and torture.”
He said the Nigerian government allowed perpetrators to act “with complete impunity,” adding that “we must act quickly and decisively to save more lives.”
Hartzler Citing recent attacks in November which include kidnapping of more than 300 children and 12 teachers from a Catholic school, Hartzler said “religious freedom in Nigeria has been under siege in 2025 and, unfortunately, it seems to be getting worse.”
The USCIRF chair said there should be improved accountability from the Nigerian authorities and better use of US security assistance and early warning systems. “Too many times, local villagers learn of an impending attack and reach out for protection, only to have their cries for help ignored,” she said.
According to Nelson, “our cases have involved Christians unjustly imprisoned by Sharia courts, false allegations of crimes merely for evangelism or protecting Christian converts; Christians kidnapped and tortured. I have visited villages directly attacked by Fulani militants and witnessed the aftermath of pastors beheaded, mass graves, widows and orphans.”
He said authorities downplayed the role of religion in the attacks and highlighted Nigeria’s blasphemy laws, which in some states permit the death penalty.
Also, Obadare said Boko Haram was the main driver of the violence. “The deadliest and most serious threat confronting the Nigerian state today is jihadist terror,” he insisted, adding that Nigerian military actions following renewed US pressure, but urged Washington to maintain leverage.
“The policy goal should be two-fold: first, work with the Nigerian military to neutralise Boko Haram. Second, the United States should put pressure on President Tinubu to make Sharia law unconstitutional in the 12 Northern states where it has been adopted since 2000 and disband the various Hisbah groups.”
Committee officials said they are preparing a comprehensive report for President Trump with recommendations on how Congress can support the administration’s efforts to curb religious persecution in Nigeria and elsewhere.
