A United States congressional delegation that visited Nigeria over allegations of mass killings is preparing a high-level briefing for President Donald Trump after what members described as one of the most harrowing missions of their careers.
The five-member delegation, led by Congressman Riley Moore, arrived in Nigeria on Sunday and travelled across Benue State, where they met Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), survivors of terrorist attacks, Christian community leaders and traditional rulers.
They also held talks with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
Speaking on Fox News on Thursday, Moore told anchor Harris Faulkner that the delegation encountered “shocking” accounts of violence allegedly carried out by Fulani and Islamic extremist groups. “The stories we heard, the imagery, I have never witnessed anything like that in my life,” he said.
He recounted meeting a woman who “lost her entire family”, saying five of her children “were murdered right in front of her while she was pregnant”. She later gave birth in an IDP camp. “You can see that her soul has literally left her body. There are countless stories like these,” he added.
Moore also highlighted the case of another woman whose husband, two daughters and unborn child were killed during an attack, arguing that the pattern of violence pointed to deliberate targeting of Christian communities.
The congressman said the team moved around Benue State in armoured vehicles due to security risks while meeting Catholic and Protestant leaders, bishops and community heads to gather what he called “ground truth”.
“This is a fact-finding mission. Benue is one of the most dangerous states in Nigeria. This is where the majority of Christians are being murdered for their faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But I felt we had to go,” he said.
He questioned narratives linking the violence to climate pressures or economic disputes, insisting that attacks on churches and IDP camps contradicted such claims.
“For those who say this is about climate change or economics, why would you burn down a church? Why would you attack an IDP camp screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’?” Moore asked. “They are trying to erase Christians in Benue State and across Nigeria from their ancestral homeland.”
Moore confirmed that President Trump directed him and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to compile a full report on the situation. “We will report back to the President and make recommendations by the end of this month,” he said.
Trump had, in late October, designated Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ over alleged Christian genocide, a characterisation Nigerian officials have rejected, maintaining that the country’s security crisis is not religiously motivated.