United States House appropriators and foreign affairs leaders have convened a rare joint briefing as part of a wider investigation into what lawmakers describe as escalating and targeted violence against Christians in Nigeria.
Mario Díaz-Balart, House appropriations vice chair and national security subcommittee chairman, led the session, which feeds into a report ordered by former president Donald Trump on recent massacres and possible US policy steps.
Trump asked Congress to probe Christian persecution in Nigeria and produce a report for the White House, suggesting that Washington may consider taking direct military action against Islamist groups.
Vicky Hartzler, chair of the US commission on international religious freedom, told lawmakers that “religious freedom [is] under siege,” citing attacks in which “radical Muslims kill entire Christian villages [and] burn churches.”
She said violations were “rampant,” “violent,” and disproportionately affecting Christians, who she said were targeted “at a 2.2 to 1 rate.”
She warned that Nigeria was entering a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence” despite some steps such as withdrawing around 100,000 police officers from VIP escorts.
She called for targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials “who have demonstrated complicity,” as well as visa restrictions and asset blocks.
She urged Congress to condition humanitarian aid on “measurable accountability” and asked US lawmakers to ensure a review of previous assistance and to pressure Abuja to retake communities seized from Christian farmers.
Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations said the argument that extremists target Christians and Muslims equally is a “myth.”
He said the groups “act for one reason and one reason only: religion,” adding that any higher Muslim casualty count was driven by geography, not equal targeting.
He argued that the Nigerian military was “too corrupt and incompetent” to dismantle jihadist networks without external pressure.
He urged the US to confront corruption in security forces and insist on rapid action when there are warnings of impending attacks.
Sean Nelson of Alliance Defending Freedom International described Nigeria as “the deadliest country in the world for Christians.”
He said more Christians were killed there “than in all other countries combined,” arguing that extremists also target Muslims who reject their ideology.
He added that tighter oversight of US aid was needed to prevent corruption, even as he called for more transparency in how Nigeria manages mass kidnappings and ransom payments.
Díaz-Balart criticised the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from the US list of “countries of particular concern,” saying the decision had “clearly deadly consequences.”
Hartzler said some developments, including redeploying police to the field, could signal a shift within Nigeria’s leadership.
She cited recent comments by Nigeria’s House of Representatives Speaker acknowledging a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence.”
She warned that the Nigerian government must show “clear intent to quell injustice” and demonstrate accountability if progress is to be meaningful.