On Thursday, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa convened a hearing to address the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, a situation subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith (R-N.J.) characterized as “systematic and accelerating violence against predominantly Christian communities in Nigeria.”
Lawmakers from both parties questioned administration officials and external experts. Witness after witness detailed the collapse of security, widespread killings, kidnappings, and the impunity that has transformed Africa’s most populous country into what one representative termed “the deadliest place on Earth.”
Representative Smith, who has consistently raised concerns about the persecution of Christians in the nation, depicted the situation in stark terms.
He declared, “Nigeria is ground zero, the focal point of the most brutal and murderous violence in the world today.”
He deemed the session “a very critical hearing,” noting it was his twelfth such hearing and that he has led three human rights delegations to the country.
Quoting previous testimony from Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Diocese, Smith spoke of militants who “kill and boast about it … kidnap and rape and enjoy total impunity from elected officials.”
He highlighted a June 13 attack in Yola, stating that reports indicated “278 people — men, women and children — were killed in a manner too gory to describe by people shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ while slaughtering their victims.”
Smith asserted, “This is not random violence. It is deliberate persecution,” adding, “There may be other factors, but religion is driving this.”
Smith also pointed out that moderate Muslims who speak out against extremists are frequently murdered, underscoring the extent of Nigeria’s “culture of denial.”
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), the panel’s ranking member, concurred that Nigeria faces devastating insecurity but cautioned against “oversimplistic narratives.”
She cited overlapping drivers, including farmer-herder conflict and organized banditry, and noted that the 25 girls recently kidnapped in Kebbi state were all Muslim.
She stated, “Violence affects everyone,” and added, “False narratives erase the real drivers of violence and make it harder to find solutions.”
Jacobs condemned former President Trump’s remarks about “going into Nigeria guns blazing,” describing such rhetoric as reckless and illegal, and arguing that unilateral U.S. military action would be “counterproductive.”
Jacobs claimed the Trump administration had cut peace-building and conflict-prevention initiatives that previously helped reduce violence—programs, she explained, “that proactively prevented and directly addressed the violence this administration is now concerned about.”
Rep. John James (R-Mich.) described Nigeria’s crisis in unequivocal terms.
He declared, “This is one of the gravest religious freedom crises in the world,” and “The deadliest place on earth to be a Christian.”
He referred to estimates that nearly 17,000 Christians have been killed since 2019, characterizing these murders as “a sustained pattern of religiously motivated violence, often ignored or even enabled by the Nigerian government.”
Appearing via video from Benue state, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe detailed church burnings, widespread displacement, and the targeting of priests for abduction.
Anagbe reiterated, “Nigeria remains the deadliest place on earth to be a Christian,” adding, “More believers are killed there annually than in the rest of the world combined.”
He expressed gratitude for the (CPC) concerning religious freedom violations, but urged that it be reinforced with sanctions and greater humanitarian support for displaced civilians.
Two senior State Department officials, Jonathan Pratt and Jacob McGee, defended the administration’s approach while acknowledging the horrific nature of the attacks.
Pratt termed the situation “a very serious security problem,” stating that the U.S. seeks to “raise the protection of Christians to the top of the Nigerian government’s priorities.”
McGee further commented, “The levels of violence and atrocities committed against Christians are appalling. … Nigerians are being attacked and killed because of their faith.”
He drew attention to provisions that can impose the death penalty, labeling them “unacceptable in a free and democratic society.”
Both officials indicated that the U.S. is developing a plan to “incentivize and compel” the Nigerian government to safeguard religious communities.
In one exchange, Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) bluntly asked an expert on Nigeria, “Ma’am, are we frenemies? Are we — what are we?”
Oge Onubogu, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, responded, “We’re friends.”
She added that U.S.–Nigeria engagement must be “from a place of honesty” and that Nigerians “acknowledge something must be done quickly about the levels of insecurity.”
Onubogu warned, however, that a “narrow narrative that reduces Nigeria’s security situation to a single story” could exacerbate divisions.
Stutzman pressed her further, remarking, “If Nigeria’s government cannot stop the violence, they should be willing to ask the international community for help.”
As the hearing concluded, Smith warned, “The Nigerian government has a constitutional obligation to protect its citizens. If it cannot stop the slaughter, then America — and the world — must not look away.”