Resolution rocks US Congress over ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria

A member of the United States Congress, Riley Moore, has filed a resolution condemning what he described as the “persecution of Christians” in Nigeria and pledging support for President Donald Trump’s plan to “end the slaughter.”

Moore, who announced the resolution on his verified X handle, said it was submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday and referred to the appropriate committee for deliberation.

The resolution, titled “Condemning the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and standing ready to support President Donald Trump in taking decisive action to end the existential threat that persecuted Christians face in Nigeria,” calls for stronger U.S. involvement in addressing the alleged crisis.

“I just introduced a resolution condemning the atrocities Christians are facing in Nigeria and supporting @POTUS’ efforts to defend Christians who are being slaughtered,” Moore wrote.

Moore, who currently chairs Trump’s investigative committee on religious persecution in Nigeria, described the country as “the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian.”

According to him, over 7,000 Christians have been killed in 2025 alone, averaging “35 murders each day,” while between 50,000 and 100,000 have lost their lives since 2009. He added that 19,000 churches have been razed and millions displaced in what he called a “campaign of religious cleansing.”

“The attackers regularly target Christian holy days,” he said, citing the 2022 Pentecost massacre, the 2023 Christmas Eve attacks, and the 2025 Holy Week killings. “Priests, pastors, and seminarians are routinely targeted, with over 250 clergy killed in the past decade.”

Moore referenced the killing of Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu on Ash Wednesday, insisting the attacks were not random but “targeted jihadist violence.”

He accused the Nigerian government of “turning a blind eye” to the killings, recalling a case in Plateau State where a pastor who warned of an impending Fulani attack was accused of spreading fake news, only for more than a dozen Christians to be killed the following day.

Moore also took a swipe at President Bola Tinubu for denying that religious persecution exists in Nigeria, quoting Tinubu’s September 2025 comment: “There’s no religious persecution in Nigeria.”

“He now has an opportunity to deepen U.S.–Nigeria relations and, more importantly, do the right thing,” Moore said.

The lawmaker’s resolution cited Trump’s previous designations of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, first in 2020 and again in 2025 — a move that allows sanctions against governments accused of religious rights violations.

It slammed the Biden administration’s 2021 decision to delist Nigeria from the CPC roster, alleging that the action “coincided with a spike in violence and persecution.”

The document also condemned attacks by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other militant groups, and Nigeria’s “failure to protect Christians or punish offenders.”

Citing high-profile cases like the killings of Rhoda Jatau and Deborah Yakubu, the resolution faulted Nigeria’s continued enforcement of blasphemy laws, describing them as “a direct assault on human rights.”

The resolution concluded by urging the United States to “raise its moral voice” on behalf of persecuted Christians, warning that global silence only emboldens extremists.

Moore expressed gratitude to 20 co-sponsoring lawmakers and over 55 international and faith-based groups, including the American Centre for Law and Justice, CatholicVote, Faith & Freedom Coalition, Open Doors USA, and Heritage Action.

“As I said at @CPAC’s Ending Christian Persecution summit: I will never stay silent as our brothers and sisters in Christ are being slaughtered for their faith,” Moore added.
“The U.S. will consider every option to protect vulnerable Christians from slaughter. Now is the time to put on the full armour of God.”