The United States Congress has been drawn into another storm over Nigeria, as Rep. Riley Moore accused the Tinubu government of overlooking what he called “a Christian genocide.” In a petition to Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, Moore urged the US to sanction Nigeria and halt all arms deals. But the Nigerian presidency has fired back, dismissing the claims as unfounded and inciting. What triggered this latest diplomatic uproar and what does it mean for Nigeria’s image abroad? Find out the full story inside.
…. Rep. Riley Moore petitions Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, demands suspension of arms sales to Nigeria over alleged persecution of Christians — but Tinubu’s aide fires back, says the claim is false and politically motivated.
The United States lawmaker representing West Virginia’s Second District, Rep. Riley M. Moore, has stirred fresh controversy after accusing the Nigerian government of overseeing what he described as an ongoing Christian genocide across several parts of the country.
In a letter dated October 6, 2025, addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and copied to former President Donald Trump, Moore urged the US government to immediately designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) — a diplomatic tag reserved for nations accused of severe violations of religious freedom.
According to Moore, the Nigerian government has allegedly failed to protect Christians from what he called “Muslim extremist groups”, claiming that over 7,000 Christians were murdered between January and September 2025 alone. He further alleged that at least 250 Catholic priests have been killed or attacked since 2015, and that 19,100 churches have been attacked or destroyed between 2009 and 2025. genocide
The lawmaker called for the immediate suspension of US arms sales and military support to Nigeria “until the Nigerian government demonstrates sufficient commitment to ending the reign of persecution and slaughter.”
Old Accusations, Renewed Tension
This is not the first time the United States has been entangled in Nigeria’s religious and human rights controversies. During Donald Trump’s first tenure, Nigeria was indeed listed as a Country of Particular Concern, but President Joe Biden later removed Nigeria from that list — a move that drew criticism from American conservatives who argued that religious persecution had not stopped.
Notably, US Senator Ted Cruz, TV host Bill Maher, and political commentator Van Jones have all echoed similar sentiments, describing the killings of Christians in Nigeria as “systematic and genocidal.”
In a recent podcast, Cruz stated that “Christians are being hunted down and killed in Nigeria for their faith,” calling on the White House to “act decisively before it’s too late.”
Tinubu’s Government Fumes: “Baseless, Divisive, and Dangerous”
Responding to the renewed allegations, Mr. Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, dismissed the claims as “baseless, misleading, and capable of inciting division.”
He described Moore’s letter and similar Western commentaries as “a calculated attempt to paint Nigeria in a false light and destabilize a country that is still recovering from years of insecurity.”
“Nigeria is not at war with any religion,” Dare said. “These orchestrated claims of genocide are unfounded and politically motivated. We urge both Nigerians and the international community to reject attempts to robe this country with a garment that is not hers.”
Despite the rebuttal, Moore’s petition has already sparked intense debate across political and diplomatic circles, with analysts warning that the move could strain US-Nigeria relations if Trump, now a frontrunner in the 2026 US race, decides to act on the recommendations.
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