Category: Security & International

A member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, has renewed claims that Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt are facing what he calls a “genocidal campaign” by Fulani militants, following a recent congressional mission that visited Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Benue State. Moore, who represents West Virginia, says he is preparing a detailed report for former US President Donald Trump on the violence and the humanitarian crisis he witnessed.

Moore led a small US delegation that travelled to Nigeria to investigate reports of targeted attacks on Christian farming communities. In Benue, the team met displaced families, church leaders and traditional rulers, including Catholic bishops Wilfred Anagbe and Isaac Dugu, as well as the Tor Tiv. Several reports quoting the congressman say he was told that more than 600,000 people—mostly Christian villagers—are now sheltering in IDP camps across the state after being driven from their homes.

In interviews and social-media posts, Moore described what he heard in the camps as some of the most distressing testimonies of his career. Survivors recounted attacks on villages, killings of relatives and destruction of farms and churches. One woman was said to have lost five children in a single raid, while another reportedly had her unborn baby cut from her womb after her family was killed. Moore accused armed groups he described as “Fulani and Islamist radicals” of carrying out a coordinated effort to drive Christians from their ancestral land.

The congressman has linked his visit to a broader push in Washington to respond more forcefully to religiously targeted violence in Nigeria. Last month he introduced a resolution in the US Congress condemning the persecution of Christians and calling for stronger action to protect vulnerable communities. He has now said he will submit a “high-level” briefing to Trump, outlining ways the United States could work with Nigeria on a joint response to terrorism and mass displacement if Trump returns to the White House.

Nigerian officials have also engaged with the delegation. Moore and his team met National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and other senior figures in Abuja to discuss the security situation and ongoing counter-terrorism operations. The Nigerian government has generally rejected the “genocide” label, insisting that the country’s overlapping crises involve terrorism, banditry, farmer–herder clashes and criminal violence affecting multiple communities, not only Christians. Officials say they are working to secure rural areas, support state governments and resettle IDPs where possible.

The visit and Moore’s language have, however, drawn pushback from some Nigerian groups. A Muslim organisation recently accused the US delegation of consulting mainly Christian actors and of framing the conflict in narrow religious terms, warning that such portrayals risk deepening mistrust and ignoring attacks suffered by Muslims and other groups in the same regions. Nigerian and international analysts have likewise argued in separate commentaries that while atrocities and mass displacement are undeniable, the violence is complex and does not always fit neatly into a single “Christian genocide” narrative.

Despite the disagreements, the congressional tour has again pushed Nigeria’s Middle Belt crisis into the centre of US and diaspora debates. For displaced families in Benue’s camps, the key question is whether heightened attention from Washington will translate into more effective protection on the ground—and faster moves towards justice and safe return—for all communities caught up in the country’s overlapping conflicts.

This Echotitbits.com report draws on coverage and statements from SaharaReporters, TheNigeriaLawyer, Leadership, Punch Newspapers, PM News, Politics Nigeria, Premium Times, and The Guardian (Nigeria), published between November and December 2025.