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Nigeria now ‘one of the most dangerous places to follow Christ’ – US lawmakers
Nigeria is rapidly becoming one of the most dangerous places on Earth to follow Christ, the US House Appropriations Committee said in an X post on Sunday, stressing that the United States cannot ignore the crisis.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
The post comes on the heels of a recent joint briefing convened by members of the US House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s security response to ongoing violence affecting communities across several states.
The session, held on 2 December and led by House Appropriations Vice Chair Mario Díaz-Balart, followed President Donald Trump’s 31 October directive instructing the committee to investigate killings and abductions in parts of Nigeria and provide a report to the White House.
Lawmakers received briefings from security, foreign policy, and religious freedom experts outlining recent large-scale attacks, including the abduction of 303 children and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s School in Niger State on 22 November, and separate attacks on worship centres in Kwara, Zamfara, and Katsina states.
Díaz-Balart said the committee would continue examining how US policy tools could support stability. “No one should live in fear because of how they worship,” he said. “I remain committed to advancing policies that protect the freedom to live according to one’s faith without fear of violence and retribution.”
Rep. Robert Aderholt said the pattern of attacks required closer attention from US lawmakers. “The rising violence and targeted persecution of Christians in Nigeria is a crisis that can’t be ignored,” he said, adding that Congress would ensure the president receives the information needed “to confront this growing tragedy.”
Rep. Riley Moore stressed that concerns raised by witnesses highlight the need for sustained oversight. “Our brothers and sisters in Christ are being persecuted and slaughtered in Nigeria simply for professing their faith,” he said.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast argued that the violence has often been mischaracterised. “This is not merely ‘inter-communal violence’ or a ‘resource conflict,’ as many claim. This is a targeted campaign of religious cleansing,” he said.
Africa Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith said the frequency and scale of attacks point to systemic failures. “The Nigerian government has a fundamental, constitutional obligation to protect its citizens; however, the perpetrators of this persecution operate with complete impunity,” he said.
US Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler told lawmakers that recent incidents show an escalation. “Religious freedom in Nigeria has been under siege in 2025, and, unfortunately, it seems to be getting worse,” she said, noting that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of violent attacks. She urged the US to work with Nigeria to “vastly improve its accountability and transparency” and ensure security assistance is better targeted.
Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson described accounts from victims his organisation has worked with. “Christians are defenceless against these religiously motivated attacks, and the government has regularly failed to protect them,” he said.
Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Ebenezer Obadare linked the situation to the threat posed by jihadist groups, particularly Boko Haram. He said eliminating Boko Haram must be central to any solution. He noted that after Nigeria’s CPC designation and Trump’s threat of unilateral military action, President Tinubu ordered airstrikes, recruited 30,000 additional policemen, and declared a national security emergency. “Washington must keep up the pressure,” he said.
Obadare added that the US should also press Tinubu to make Sharia law unconstitutional in the 12 northern states where it is implemented and disband Hisbah groups enforcing Islamic law.
The House Appropriations Committee said it would continue working with the Trump administration as it prepares its report on recommended US actions and policy responses.
According to our findings, former presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso has stirred fresh national conversations after praising General Theophilus Danjuma in a way many say captures the retired general’s true influence on Nigeria. In a message marking Danjuma’s 87th birthday, Kwankwaso described him as a man who didn’t just serve long, but served with....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
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BREAKING NEWS: Newly Elected President of AGN, Abubakar Yakubu Arrested in Lagos – FULL DETAILS
The newly elected President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Abubakar Yakubu, who won the election by a narrow margin of 116 votes to 113 against Rita Daniels, with three votes declared invalid, has reportedly been involved in a fatal motor accident in Surulere, Lagos.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Preliminary reports indicate that the crash resulted in the death of an individual.
Yakubu has been taken into police custody at the Barracks Police Station in Surulere, where investigations into the circumstances surrounding the accident are ongoing.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement on the cause of the crash or the progress of the investigation.
Further details will follow as the news develops…
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, a strategic move reportedly executed to pre-empt his estranged predecessor, Nyesom Wike, and take control of the APC structure in the oil-rich state.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
The defection, which Fubara lannounced at a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt, was confirmed to be a calculated political maneuver following his closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Monday.
Governor Fubara, while announcing his defection, publicly acknowledged President Tinubu’s intervention as the sole reason he survived the political turmoil, which saw his government briefly suspended.
He said: “I know you have been waiting to hear from me. I have to arrange this meeting so urgently. I know it will end on a good note
“You are aware that I went to see Mr President yesterday, and the reason I went for that visit is not just personal, but a state interest consultation.
“I don’t want to make any mistakes this time around. I also don’t want to step on any landmine that anyone is laying for us. So I was with Mr President yesterday to brief him on the situation of things in our state, which I believe he has taken note of, and he is going to act swiftly on it.
“The most interesting part of the meeting is what you all have been waiting for, and you have been asking me, the signal has finally arrived.
“We have the full support and the positive nod to leave where we are because we didn’t get any protection, to go to where the reason we are still standing is because of that place.
“The truth is, without Mr. President, there won’t be any His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara; it would have been the former governor.
“So, we have every reason. Let no one be fooled in this State, we have the people and the supporters as well as the numbers. Our only thank you to Mr. President is to support him. We can’t support Mr. President in isolation, and we can’t show that support if we don’t fully identify with him, not backyard support.
“So, we have taken that decision today, since we have got the pass. Everyone here who has followed and suffered with me, our decision today, we are all moving to APC.“
Sources in Governor Fubara’s camp revealed to The Whistler that the defection was based on counsel from political strategists who urged him to join the APC before Wike, despite the FCT Minister’s alignment with the federal ruling party.
The main objective was to secure control of the APC’s political structure in Rivers State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The strategy banked on Wike’s ongoing internal battles within the PDP, which reportedly led to him being isolated and without access to President Bola Tinubu for the last two months.
The source said Fubara was initially reluctant to make the move, concerned that it would be viewed as disrespectful to Wike and re-ignite the crisis that had just been resolved.
“The governor was reluctant at first. He felt it would be disrespectful to join the APC before his former boss and political benefactor. He was also concerned about reigniting the crisis that had just been resolved. He didn’t want to be seen as betraying Wike or repeating the same pattern that caused their problems in the first place,” the source told The Whistler.
The source explained: “Governor Fubara agreed with the calculation to join the APC first. They (his advisers) convinced him that this was the best way to secure his political future.”
Fubara’s camp asserts that his supporters and loyalists across the state are expected to follow his lead, effectively positioning him as the new leader of the APC in Rivers State.
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