A United States congressman has called on President Donald Trump to intervene militarily in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, describing the killing of Christians in Plateau State as an ongoing genocide and accusing the Nigerian government of standing by while its own citizens are massacred.
Representative Riley Moore made the call in a statement on Thursday, reacting to reports and videos from Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, where gunmen attacked mourners during a mass burial on Wednesday.
The mourners had gathered to bury seven persons killed in an earlier attack on their community in Fan District when the assailants struck. Sources said the gunmen, who had been monitoring the burial from surrounding hills, suddenly descended on the area and opened fire as graves were being dug. More than five communities were reportedly under simultaneous attack at the time.
Conflict Journalists who was present at the scene, said the mourners had barely dug a few metres before the attackers struck, forcing them to hurriedly dump the bodies into shallow graves and flee for safety. He witnessed a man shot dead in front of him as local defenders armed with hunting rifles were overwhelmed.
In his statement, Moore drew a sharp contrast between Nigeria’s willingness to intervene militarily in neighbouring Benin Republic during a coup attempt and what he described as its failure to protect its own Christian citizens.
“Nigeria’s willingness to step in to stop a violent attack in another country, while they stand by as their own Christian citizens are brutalized, makes these absolutely horrific scenes unfolding in Plateau State all the more unconscionable,” he said.
Moore accused the Nigerian government of inaction despite receiving early warnings of the impending attack. “The Nigerian Government could root out the terrorism and stop the martyrdom of its own citizens. But, despite receiving early warnings of impending attacks, they are nowhere to be found as Christians are murdered for their faith, like lambs led to slaughter,” he said.
Moore said he was encouraged that the Trump administration had specifically identified the protection of Christians in Nigeria in its counterterrorism strategy, adding: “Now, I am asking the Trump Administration to take forceful action to defend our innocent brothers and sisters in Christ in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, the epicentre of an ongoing Christian genocide.”
His position drew support from Sean Nelson, Senior Counsel for Global Religious Freedom with Alliance Defending Freedom International, who described Moore’s comments as “very forceful” and called for maximum US pressure in line with the new counterterrorism strategy.
The Federal Government has consistently rejected allegations of a Christian genocide, maintaining that insecurity in the country affects both Muslims and Christians and is driven by broader criminality, insurgency and communal conflict.
