US Congress To Consider New Resolution Mandating Tinubu To Protect Nigerian Christian Communities, Return Displaced Persons

The United States Congressman, Riley Moore, has said he will introduce a new resolution in the House of Representatives on Friday, condemning what he described as the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, Moore said, “Tomorrow I will introduce a new resolution condemning the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria and supporting President Trump’s efforts to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Thousands have been killed for their faith, and the world has looked away for far too long.”

He also thanked former U.S. President Donald Trump, saying, “Thank you, President Trump, for your incredible leadership in defending all persecuted Christians in Nigeria, and I am grateful for your trust in me to lead this effort in the House alongside Chairman Tom Cole.”

Speaking in an interview with the New York Post, the West Virginia Republican said he hopes the measure will “help stop the persecution of Christians in Nigeria,” who face what he called an “existential threat” from Boko Haram and other Islamist groups.

“For too long, the slaughtering of Christians has been ignored. No more,” Moore told The Post.

“I urge my colleagues, Republican and Democrat alike, to join me in sending a clear message that the United States will not stay silent while our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer grave persecution, and even martyrdom, for their faith in Jesus Christ.”

He reiterated his gratitude to Trump for “incredible leadership in defending persecuted Christians in Nigeria,” adding that the former president’s “bold actions will save the lives of thousands of Christians.”

According to Moore’s office, the resolution “calls upon the United States Government to use all available diplomatic, economic, and security tools to pressure the Nigerian Government” to protect Christians and other vulnerable groups.

It also urges Abuja to “return internally displaced persons to their homelands, particularly among Christian communities; repeal blasphemy laws; and release all prisoners detained for their faith.”

Furthermore, the resolution “encourages coordination with international partners to deliver humanitarian aid directly to victims through trusted nongovernmental and faith-based organisations.”

He reaffirmed “the commitment of the United States to stand in solidarity with Christians and defend their right to practice their faith without fear of persecution, violence, and even death.”

A spokeswoman for Moore said the initiative is intended to “broaden support among faith-based and human rights advocates” and “reassert the U.S. role as a defender of religious freedom.”

The text of Moore’s resolution reportedly cites how Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militants have “systematically targeted Christian communities through massacres, church burnings, kidnappings, and sexual violence, leaving villages destroyed and millions displaced.”

“These attacks are not random or merely intercommunal,” adding, “but deliberate campaigns of religious cleansing, as demonstrated by coordinated assaults during Christian holy days, such as the 2022 Pentecost Massacre, Christmas Eve 2023 massacre, and the Holy Week 2025 killings that claimed hundreds of Christian lives.”

President Trump, who has repeatedly accused Nigeria of failing to protect its Christian faithful, warned in a post on Truth Social last Saturday, “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians the U.S.A will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump added.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”

However, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on Friday, saying the country “will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion.”

“Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Nigeria is a God-fearing country where we respect faith, tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, in concurrence with the rules-based international order.”

The resolution comes as U.S. lawmakers intensify debate over Washington’s foreign policy stance on religious freedom under President Joe Biden, whose administration removed Nigeria from the State Department’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern”, a designation Trump had reinstated during his term.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has already introduced a separate bill that would impose sanctions on Nigerian officials who “permit violence or enforce sharia or blasphemy laws,” which in Nigeria can carry the death penalty.  (SaharaReporters)