United States lawmakers will on Tuesday hold a high-level congressional briefing to examine what they describe as escalating violence and alleged targeted persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The session will bring together key committees in the US Congress as concerns grow in Washington over Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and rising religious tensions.
The House Appropriations Committee will host the briefing. It will be led by the Committee’s Vice Chair and Chairman of the National Security Subcommittee, Mario Díaz-Balart.
A notice shared on X by Congressman Riley Moore said lawmakers from the Appropriations, Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committees will take part in the session. Representatives of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and several invited experts will also testify.
The announcement said the roundtable will spotlight what US lawmakers describe as “escalating violence and targeted persecution of Christians in Nigeria.”
The briefing will also support a comprehensive report ordered by President Donald Trump on the alleged massacre of Nigerian Christians.
According to the notice, the testimony gathered will guide recommendations to Congress on how to support the White House’s efforts to protect vulnerable faith communities worldwide.
Congressman Riley Moore wrote that President Trump directed him and the House Republican Appropriators to investigate the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
He said the upcoming roundtable forms part of the ongoing inquiry.
The briefing comes at a time of heightened US attention on Nigeria after a new surge of terrorist attacks, banditry and deadly clashes in several regions.
Last week, President Bola Tinubu approved Nigeria’s delegation to the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group.
The body was agreed during a recent visit to Washington by a Nigerian team led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. Ribadu is expected to lead the Nigerian side in the discussions alongside senior officials from key ministries and security agencies.
International scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation increased after former US President Trump recently claimed there is a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.
He also threatened to deploy American forces “guns-a-blazing” to stop the violence.
The Nigerian government rejected the claim and insisted it is tackling insecurity across the country. President Tinubu said his administration prioritises the safety of all citizens while upholding religious freedom and national unity.
On November 21, the US House Subcommittee on Africa held another hearing on the proposal to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
Witnesses presented conflicting assessments of the scale and motives behind the violence in Nigeria.
Some claimed Christians face targeted attacks. Others argued the crisis is driven by criminality, land disputes and terrorism rather than state-endorsed religious persecution.
The rising attention in Washington signals renewed pressure on Nigeria’s government to deliver measurable progress in curbing insecurity.
The Tuesday briefing is expected to shape future US policy, including possible sanctions, expanded monitoring or new cooperation channels with Abuja