A senior U.S. lawmaker has raised grave concern over the plight of Christians in Benue State, revealing that more than 600,000 Christians are now living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the state.
The lawmaker, Riley M. Moore, led a U.S. fact-finding delegation to Benue in recent days and spoke with dozens of Christians forced from their homes after violent attacks.
Moore described the scenes he witnessed as “horrific” and recounted shocking testimonies.
Some survivors spoke of unimaginable loss; one woman watched her husband and five children being killed.
Another lost her entire family while her baby was torn from her womb. One man said his family was hacked to death before his eyes, and he now bears permanent injuries.
“These people were driven from their homes and now survive in camps,” Moore said. “They told harrowing stories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
He added that the 600,000 figure reflects Christians currently displaced in Benue State alone, and warned that they should be allowed to return to their ancestral lands without fear of further attacks by armed militants.
During the visit, the delegation met with religious and traditional leaders in Benue including Catholic bishops and the traditional ruler of the Tiv people to discuss the unfolding crisis.
Moore said their testimonies confirmed what he called a systemic campaign of targeting Christians across parts of Nigeria, especially in the Middle Belt region.
The lawmaker urged the international community to pay urgent attention to the situation.
He stressed that the degree of suffering like brutal violence, forced displacement, and mass trauma, demands decisive actions to protect vulnerable communities and prevent further bloodshed.