A United States congressman has sounded the alarm over attacks on Christians in Benue State, Nigeria, following a fact-finding visit to the region.
Rep. Riley Moore, who visited Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the state, said Fulani militants and Islamic radicals are targeting vulnerable Christian communities who have sought refuge there.
“Fulani, these Islamic radicals, are attacking the IDP camps. They are attacking them in these IDP camps,” Moore told Fox News, describing the dire situation he witnessed.
Moore, representing West Virginia’s 2nd District, was part of a delegation sent on a mission to gather information about Christian persecution in Nigeria.
During their visit, the group met survivors of violent attacks, hearing firsthand the devastating toll on families.
“It was really shocking. The stories that we heard, the imagery, it was… I’ve never witnessed anything like that in my life. I met one woman who lost her entire family; five of her children were murdered right in front of her. She was pregnant at the time, and she was able to escape. She had that child in an Internally Displaced Persons camp. You could just see her soul had literally left her body. There are countless stories like this,” Moore said.
He also recounted another horrifying account: “Another woman’s family was attacked; she lost her husband and two daughters. They murdered her unborn child. These Islamic terrorists murdered her unborn child and took it right out of her. It’s beyond words.”
Moore said the delegation required armored vehicles and security escorts to access Benue State safely, which he described as one of the most dangerous regions in the country.
The group also traveled with Christian leaders to better understand the scale of the attacks on religious communities.
“This mission was part of our report. Five members of Congress went there. We visited in armored vehicles and with security, meeting Christian leaders and other Protestants,” Moore said.
He added that the information gathered would be compiled into a report for former U.S. President Donald Trump, with recommendations on how to address the escalating attacks.
“He has asked myself and Chairman Tom Cole to give him a report and report back to him, and we are going to do that by the end of this month,” Moore said.