A high-level bipartisan panel of lawmakers in the United States Congress will hold a joint briefing on Tuesday to examine what they describe as a rise in violent attacks and alleged persecution of Christian communities in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The session will be led by the United States House Appropriations Committee, according to an official notice shared by United States Congressman Riley Moore.
In the public notice posted by Riley Moore on X, he revealed that the Vice Chairman of the United States House Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the National Security Subcommittee, Mario Díaz-Balart, will preside over the briefing. He will be joined by additional members of the Appropriations Committee as well as lawmakers from the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Financial Services Committee.
Officials disclosed that representatives from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, alongside other international security and religious rights experts, will provide testimony. According to the announcement, the briefing aims “to spotlight the escalating violence and targeted persecution of Christians in Nigeria,” a concern that has gained increased visibility in American diplomatic and legislative circles.
The roundtable is designed to gather information for a comprehensive report “directed by President Donald Trump on the massacre of Nigerian Christians and the steps Congress can take to support the White House’s efforts to protect vulnerable faith communities worldwide.” Congressional aides emphasized that the briefing is expected to deliver crucial insights needed for policy recommendations targeted at safeguarding religious minorities.
“The roundtable will gather critical testimony to inform a comprehensive report,” the statement added, underscoring the significance the United States government is placing on rising insecurity in Nigeria.
Okay News reports that the upcoming congressional review comes at a time when bilateral security relations between the United States and Nigeria have deepened. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria recently approved the Nigerian delegation to the United States–Nigeria Joint Working Group, a newly established cooperative framework meant to accelerate implementation of security agreements reached during high-level engagements in Washington, led by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The Joint Working Group consists of senior Nigerian ministers, military leaders, and security chiefs, and is tasked with improving counterterrorism operations, strengthening intelligence sharing, enhancing border protection, and coordinating humanitarian interventions. United States authorities have frequently expressed concern about terrorism, banditry, and targeted attacks on faith communities in Nigeria, especially Christians in the country’s northern and central regions.
American officials say the upcoming briefing aligns with broader strategies to examine how the United States can work with Nigeria to enhance the safety of vulnerable populations.
