A former aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, has criticised a United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, over his remarks following a visit to an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Benue State.

Naijaonpoint reports that Moore, who represents West Virginia’s Second District, was part of a US congressional delegation that recently visited Nigeria on a fact-finding mission amid claims of alleged Christian genocide in the country.

In a statement released Tuesday night, the American congressman said he was informed during his visit that “over 600,000 Christians were displaced in Benue alone.”

He added that victims narrated distressing stories of attacks allegedly carried out by Islamic extremists.

According to him, the grim accounts of killings and destruction “would remain with him until death.”

But reacting in a post on his official 𝕏 handle, Ahmad faulted the congressman’s conclusion, alleging that Moore’s assessment was one-sided.

He questioned why the lawmaker did not extend his visit to other states where Muslims are also living in IDP camps.

Bashir wrote, “The fact that there are IDP camps in Benue doesn’t mean there are none in other parts of the country.”

He further argued that Moore’s comments were coloured by preconceived views, saying, “Had it been he wasn’t already biased in his outlook, he would have made himself available to visit other places and see the situation for himself.”

In a renewed call for community vigilance earlier, the Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, urged Christian youths in crisis-prone areas to take steps to defend themselves against possible attacks.

Naijaonpoint reports that Dachomo’s message comes as residents continue to recall the December 2023 massacre, where over 200 people were killed in coordinated assaults across 17 rural communities in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi LGAs between December 23 and 25 by armed men suspected to be Fulani militias.

Daily Post reported on Tuesday that Dachomo, in a new video, declared that self-defence had become necessary due to what he described as the failure of the government and security agencies to protect vulnerable communities.

“All youths, this is a command, not advice. I’m commanding you to wake up and defend the weak old people, women who are pregnant, defend the widows, and stand with their blood to defend the land,” the Cleric reportedly said.

The outspoken cleric stressed that his call followed repeated unheeded warnings, including a recent alert issued two weeks earlier, in which he claimed to have credible information about planned attacks on Christian communities during the Christmas season.

Dachomo reiterated his position that the violence in Plateau State amounted to what he has consistently referred to as an “ongoing Christian genocide” and a campaign of land occupation. He said many innocent people, including members of his own congregation, had been killed in the unrest.

According to him, youths in rural areas, especially in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Bassa, and Mangu LGAs, must be ready to defend their communities in the absence of adequate state protection.

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