United States Congressman Riley Moore has spotlighted the dire plight of Christian communities in Benue State, Nigeria, after visiting camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), where he heard firsthand accounts of extreme violence that he described as genocidal.
Writing on X following his Wednesday visit, Moore recounted meeting “dozens of Christians who were driven from their homes and subjected to horrific violence and now live in IDP camps.”
Survivors shared devastating stories of attacks that wiped out entire families, compelling the living to abandon their villages, with Moore noting, “They told harrowing stories that will remain with me for the rest of my life.”
Moore detailed specific horrors relayed by victims, including one woman who “was forced to watch as they killed her husband and five children. She and her unborn child barely escaped.” Another woman reported that her family “was murdered in front of her and her baby was ripped from her womb,” while a man described how “his family was hacked to death in front of his eyes and his arm was permanently mangled.” He highlighted that “more than 600,000 Christians” now reside in IDP camps across Benue, a region plagued by prolonged clashes between farming communities and armed groups, declaring, “These Christians should be able to live in their ancestral homeland without fear of genocidal Fulani.”
During the visit, Moore met Tiv and Catholic leaders, stating, “It was an honour and deeply moving to meet with His Excellency Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop Isaac Dugu, and His Royal Highness James Ioruza, traditional ruler of the Tiv people, to discuss the ongoing genocidal campaign by the Fulani in Benue State.” He affirmed that the US would not overlook these community experiences.
Moore characterized his trip as a “very productive visit to Nigeria,” revealing that on Monday he held discussions with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and other senior officials on terrorism in the North-East and killings in the Middle Belt—priorities for President Donald Trump and himself.
The talks explored security-enhancing measures, with Moore commending the rescue of over 100 abducted Catholic schoolchildren and praising President Bola Tinubu’s government, while noting US concerns were “positively received” alongside a “now established joint task force between Nigeria and the US.”
Yet, he cautioned, “now, that openness has to translate to concrete action,” adding, “there is much work still to be done.”
Ribadu confirmed hosting the US delegation amid ongoing security consultations, describing the engagement—which followed prior Washington talks—as centered on “counter-terrorism cooperation, regional stability,” and bolstering the “strategic security partnership between Nigeria and the United States.”
The visit unfolds against escalating US-Nigeria tensions, with the Trump administration redesignating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations, including threats of military intervention; Nigeria’s Federal Government denies systemic Christian persecution, attributing insecurity to multi-faith impacts.
Recent developments include Pentagon talks on November 20 between Ribadu and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, a US House Subcommittee on Africa hearing that day, and last Tuesday’s Republican briefing ordered by President Trump, who on October 31 tasked Moore and the House Appropriations Committee with probing what he termed the “slaughter of Christians.”
