U.S. Congressman Riley Moore (R-WV) today raised the alarm over the dire humanitarian crisis in Benue State, Nigeria, where more than 600,000 displaced Christians are now living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps following relentless attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen.
During a recent fact-finding visit to the region, Congressman Moore met with dozens of survivors who shared harrowing accounts of violence, including mass killings, mutilations, and forced displacement that he described as a genocidal campaign against Christian communities.
"These stories will never leave me," said Congressman Moore. "I heard from a woman who watched her husband and five children slaughtered before escaping while pregnant, another whose unborn child was ripped from her womb after her family was murdered, and a man whose loved ones were hacked to death as he barely survived with a mangled arm. These are not isolated incidents—they represent a systematic effort to eradicate Christian populations from their ancestral lands."
The Congressman, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, emphasized the scale of the displacement in Benue alone, noting that over 600,000 Christians have been driven from their homes and farms into overcrowded IDP camps, where they face ongoing threats and inadequate resources.
He called for immediate international action, including enhanced U.S. security cooperation with Nigeria to protect vulnerable populations and hold perpetrators accountable. "These Christians should be able to live in their ancestral homeland without fear of genocidal Fulani," Moore stated, urging the global community to address what he termed "horrific" killings occurring at a 5:1 ratio of Christians to Muslims.
This visit comes amid a broader U.S. congressional probe into allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria, including an upcoming hearing by the House Subcommittee on Africa chaired by Rep.
Chris Smith (R-NJ). The hearing will examine Nigeria's designation as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom violations and feature testimony from Nigerian religious leaders, such as Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese in Benue, who has highlighted attacks on churches, priests, and IDP camps.
Congressman Moore vowed that the United States will not ignore these atrocities. "The world must wake up to this crisis. We stand ready to support measures like sanctions, aid restrictions, and diplomatic pressure to ensure justice and safety for Nigeria's persecuted Christians," he added.