The United States Congress has delivered to the White House a detailed legislative report demanding a formal pact with Nigeria to address what lawmakers describe as extreme violence against Christian communities and wider security threats across the country.
The report, titled “Ending the Persecution of Christians in Nigeria,” was produced by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee after months of hearings, expert testimony and bipartisan fact-finding missions, including visits to Nigeria and consultations with religious leaders and internally displaced persons.
The document sharply criticises the security situation in parts of Nigeria, calling the country “the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian” and asserts that attacks by armed militias and Islamist extremist groups have resulted in mass killings, kidnappings and displacement.
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Lawmakers commend President Donald Trump for redesignating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under U.S. law a status that permits stronger diplomatic and economic pressure and say that his action has created what they call an opportunity for substantive change.
Congress’ recommendations span a wide range of measures intended to compel stronger action by Abuja and expand U.S.–Nigeria cooperation.
The core proposal is a bilateral security and economic agreement obligating Nigeria to strengthen protection for vulnerable Christian populations, counter jihadist violence and enhance governance.
Lawmakers want Nigeria to co-fund humanitarian assistance, prioritise internally displaced persons in the predominantly Christian Middle Belt and invest in early-warning and rapid-response security mechanisms.
They also recommend removing armed “Fulani militias” from confiscated farmland to allow displaced communities to return and grow crops, a step the report says would reduce humanitarian dependency and stimulate economic recovery.
The congressional report urges the Trump administration to impose targeted sanctions, visa restrictions and public naming of individuals or groups allegedly responsible for religious violence, and to consider blocking beef and cattle exports to neighbouring countries to force Fulani herdsmen to disarm.
It also calls for divestment by Nigeria from Russian military equipment in favour of U.S. defence systems, disruption of terror financing networks through stronger anti-money laundering frameworks, and repeal of Sharia criminal codes and blasphemy laws in northern states, which the report claims have been used to suppress dissent and target minorities.
Lawmakers want greater oversight of U.S. aid to Nigeria through a Government Accountability Office audit, a possible designation of certain militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under U.S. law, and expanded collaboration with international partners such as France, Hungary and the United Kingdom.
The report also recommends technical support for Nigerian security forces and programmes to disarm, demobilise and reintegrate militia members.
Abuja has responded by rejecting the premise of a state-led policy of religious persecution. The Nigerian government, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, acknowledged ongoing security threats including terrorism, banditry and communal tensions but insisted these are not driven by religious bias or government policy.
Officials reaffirmed Nigeria’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom and highlighted coordinated military and law enforcement operations, enhanced intelligence sharing and humanitarian interventions as evidence of their commitment to protecting all citizens.
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The government framed the U.S. panel’s report as an opportunity to deepen security cooperation while maintaining respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and constitutional framework.
Source : Punch.ng
