A high-level delegation of United States lawmakers has ended its tense fact-finding mission to Nigeria and is now preparing a classified report for President Donald Trump on claims of mass killings, targeted attacks and worsening violence, especially in Benue State. The briefing is expected before the end of the month and is already drawing global attention due to the gravity of the testimonies gathered.
The five-member congressional team, led by Congressman Riley Moore, arrived on Sunday and spent days meeting internally displaced persons, survivors of terrorist assaults, Christian communities, clergy and traditional rulers. In Abuja, the delegation also held closed-door discussions with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to seek clarity on the government’s position and ongoing security measures.
Moore described what the team saw as some of the most harrowing accounts of violence he has encountered in his public career. He spoke of a woman who watched five of her children murdered before fleeing while pregnant to an IDP camp, where she later gave birth. He also cited another survivor who lost her husband, two daughters and unborn child in a single attack. According to Moore, these stories formed part of a broader pattern that suggested targeted assaults on Christian communities.
Read also:
- US tightens immigration rules as Work-Permit validity drops to 18 Months, applications from 19 countries face suspension
- Trump receives inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at World Cup draws
- Ex-Honduran president released from US prison after Trump pardon
He explained that the delegation moved through Benue State in armored vehicles because of the high risk of ambushes and described the security situation as far more severe than previously understood. Moore challenged claims that the violence was tied to climate change or farmland pressure, pointing out that gunmen had also struck churches and IDP camps, making those explanations inadequate.
President Trump, who has repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of Christian populations in Nigeria, directed Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to compile a detailed assessment and policy recommendations. Nigeria has pushed back strongly against accusations of religious persecution, insisting that the conflict stems from criminality and broader insecurity rather than faith-based targeting.
With the delegation’s findings now set to reach the White House, international focus is turning once again toward Nigeria’s troubled regions and the political storm that may follow once Trump receives the report.
