The United States congressional delegation, led by Congressman Riley Moore has concluded its fact-finding mission to Nigeria over alleged genocide and is expected to brief President Donald Trump before the end of the month.
The delegation, made up of five members of Congress, arrived in the country on Sunday and visited Internally Displaced Persons, survivors of terrorist attacks, Christian communities, Christian leaders and traditional rulers, particularly in Benue State.
They also held a meeting with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
Featuring on a Fox News programme anchored by Harris Faulkner on Thursday, Moore said the team heard harrowing accounts of killings allegedly carried out by Fulani and Islamic extremists, describing the experience as the most disturbing of his career.
“It was really shocking — the stories we heard, the imagery. I have never witnessed anything like that in my life,” he said. “I met one woman who lost her entire family. Five of her children were murdered right in front of her while she was pregnant. She escaped and delivered her baby in an IDP camp. You can see that her soul has literally left her body. There are countless stories like these.”
He also narrated another case of a woman who lost her husband, two daughters, and her unborn child during an attack, saying the pattern of violence suggested that Christian communities were deliberately targeted.
Moore said the delegation travelled across Benue State in armoured vehicles due to security risks, adding that they met Catholic and Protestant leaders, bishops and community heads to obtain what he called “ground truth”.
“This is a fact finding mission. Benue is one of the most dangerous states in Nigeria. This is where the majority of Christians are being murdered for their faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. But I felt we had to go,” he said.
According to him, IDP camps were not spared by attackers, raising questions about claims that the violence was driven by climate pressures or land disputes.
“For those who say this is about climate change or economics, why would you burn down a church? Why would you attack an IDP camp screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’? It is very clear what the answer is,” he said. “They are trying to erase Christians in Benue State and across Nigeria from their ancestral homeland.”
Moore confirmed that President Trump tasked him and House Appropriations Chairman, Tom Cole, to compile a full report on the situation.
“We will report back to the President and make recommendations. He has asked myself and Chairman Tom Cole to give him a report, and we are going to do that by the end of this month,” he added.
Trump had late October designated Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ over alleged Christian genocide, a position the Federal Government has countered, insisting that Nigeria’s security crisis has no religious colouration.
(Punch)
