U.S. Republican Congressman Riley Moore has described the ongoing violence against Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt as a “genocidal campaign,” pledging to deliver a comprehensive report to former President Donald Trump following a high-risk congressional visit to Benue State.
Moore, who led a delegation from the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, shared harrowing accounts from survivors during an appearance on Fox News’ *The Faulkner Focus*. The delegation toured multiple Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Benue under heavy security due to escalating violence in the region.
According to Moore, the team met with local religious leaders, including Catholic Bishops Wilfred Anagbe and Stephen Dugu, as well as the Tor Tiv monarch and numerous displaced individuals—all reportedly Christians. He alleged that Fulani militants, whom he labeled “Islamic radicals,” are systematically targeting IDP camps and Christian villages.
In one particularly distressing testimony, Moore recounted the story of a woman who witnessed the murder of her five children during an attack while she was pregnant. She later gave birth in an IDP camp. In another case, he described a woman whose unborn child was brutally removed after her husband and daughters were killed.
Moore challenged widely cited explanations for the violence—such as climate change, land disputes, or economic competition—calling them inadequate. “If this is climate change, why burn a church? Why attack an IDP camp shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’?” he questioned during the interview.
He asserted that the attacks are part of a deliberate effort to “erase Christians from their ancestral homeland in Benue State and across Nigeria.”
The congressman revealed that former President Trump had tasked him and House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole with preparing a detailed report on the crisis, including recommendations for U.S. engagement with Nigerian authorities. The document is expected to be submitted before the end of the month.
Moore also criticized the lack of security in IDP camps, stating that they are far from the safe havens portrayed by officials. “These camps aren’t protected. People are terrified,” he emphasized.
His comments have brought renewed international attention to long-simmering tensions in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where years of violence between farmers and herders have resulted in thousands of deaths. While some analysts and officials attribute the conflict to resource competition and climate-induced migration, others, including rights groups, accuse the government of failing to address atrocities or hold perpetrators accountable.
The situation remains deeply polarizing, with critics cautioning against oversimplifying the conflict as solely religious, even as victims and local leaders continue to call for intervention.
