U.S. Congressional delegation says findings from Benue State challenge claims of nonreligious violence and will be formally submitted to President Trump this month.
United States delegation of lawmakers has concluded a fact-finding visit to Nigeria, saying its on-the-ground observations raise serious questions about claims that the country’s violence is driven solely by climate change or economic disputes.
Speaking after the visit, U.S. Representative Riley Moore said the delegation would now compile a formal report for President Donald Trump, outlining its findings and recommendations. Moore said the report is expected to be delivered before the end of the month.
The five-member congressional team traveled to Nigeria on Sunday and focused much of its visit on Benue State, a region that has seen repeated attacks on rural communities. The lawmakers met with internally displaced persons, survivors of violence, Christian leaders, and traditional authorities.
In an interview Thursday on Fox News, Moore said the delegation moved through parts of Benue State in armored vehicles because of ongoing security risks. He said the group met Catholic and Protestant leaders, including bishops and local community heads, to understand what he described as the “ground truth” behind the violence.
“This was a fact-finding mission,” Moore said. “Benue is one of the most dangerous states in Nigeria. We felt it was necessary to come here and see conditions for ourselves.”
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Moore argued that attacks on churches and displacement camps undermine explanations that the violence is primarily about land competition or environmental pressures.
“For those who say this is about climate or economics, why burn down a church? Why attack an IDP camp while shouting religious slogans?” he said, questioning narratives that frame the crisis as nonreligious.
According to Moore, camps housing people displaced by earlier attacks have also been targeted, a pattern he said suggests a broader campaign against specific communities.
He confirmed that President Trump personally asked him and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole to prepare a detailed assessment of the situation. Moore said the report will include policy recommendations for the administration.
The visit follows President Trump’s decision in late October 2025, to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over allegations of widespread persecution of Christians. The designation has drawn sharp pushback from Nigerian authorities.
Nigeria’s federal government has rejected claims of religiously motivated violence, maintaining that the country’s security challenges stem from criminal banditry, terrorism, and long-standing communal tensions affecting multiple regions and faiths.
The issue has increasingly drawn attention in Washington, where some lawmakers are urging closer scrutiny of Nigeria’s security crisis. U.S. officials say the forthcoming report could shape future diplomatic and policy discussions between Washington and Abuja.
