Riley Moore, United States lawmaker and leader of the investigative committee set up by President Donald Trump over alleged killing of Christians in Nigeria, has accused the Nigerian government of failing to justify the extensive military assistance it received from Washington.
Moore decried the alleged ongoing genocide against Christians in Nigeria, saying it has been met with global indifference.
He said this in an interview with Dinesh D’Souza programme shared on Friday .
“My brothers and sisters in Christ are murdered for practising their faith and belief in our Lord Jesus Christ,” he stated, expressing outrage over what he described as years of silence and neglect from both Nigerian authorities and the international community.”
He warned that Nigeria’s inability to address the killings could have far-reaching consequences, stressing that the United States would eventually be forced to act if the situation deteriorates further.
“If we don’t address this, if we don’t do something about this and some terrorists take hold in Nigeria, I promise you, we would have to address it one way or the other. What I would like to do is address it in a cooperative manner with the Nigerians and hopefully there would be.”
The lawmaker criticised the Nigerian government for failing to prioritise the protection of Christians despite receiving substantial US security support over the years.
“I think there is a potential very quickly to partner and I am hoping they would partner with the US government to address this because we have been providing them billions of billions of dollars worth of security assistance. They have been paying for that but they were also granted security assistance from the United States of America, training and equipment, for them to address this issue and it has gone on unresolved and they are not prioritising the protection of the Christians.”
He lamented that the violence had continued “under the radar” for far too long, with little global attention or meaningful intervention to halt the slaughter of Christians.
“The pieces are in place to address this, it has been flying under the radar and nobody has cared about this for a very long time. But if we are not going to stand up for this, for the very values we have as Christians and I am not talking of nation building, democracy, we are talking about going on to protect Christians from murder,” he added.
According to him, the time has come for both Nigeria and its international partners to move beyond rhetoric and take concrete action to stop what he described as a “forgotten genocide.”
Earlier, Moore promised to send a report to Donald Trump soon, saying, “I am on it.”
“Thank you, President Trump, for your incredible leadership in defending persecuted Christians, especially in Nigeria. Your bold and decisive action to protect our brothers and sisters in Christ will save thousands of lives. I am on it and will have more for you soon,” he wrote in reaction to Trump’s speech vowing action on what he described as “genocide against Christians” in Nigeria.
In a speech seen by SaharaReporters, Trump had reiterated that he has designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over what he described as large-scale killings of Christians and warned that Washington could cut aid or even take military action if the violence continues.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria, thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed, radicalIslamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a country of particular concern, that is a legal definition,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
He drew attention to global figures and urged rapid action from U.S. lawmakers. “When the Christians or any such group is slaughtered like it’s happening in Nigeria 3100 Vs 4476 Worldwide, what horrible numbers.”
Trump called on members of Congress to move quickly, singling out appropriations leaders. “Something has to be done, I am asking Congressman Riley Moore together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee toimmediately look into this matter to report back to me, I mean like immediately.”
He added that the United States could intervene to protect religious minorities. “The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and other countries. It’s not only in Nigeria, it’s all over. We are able and willing to defend Christians, the killing of Christians, it is not going to happen.”
The Nigerian government has rejected the characterization and pushed back against claims that the violence amounts to targeted genocide, saying the country’s constitution protects all faiths and that security challenges affect communities across religious lines.
Last Friday, President Trump announced that, in response to claims of genocide against Christians in Nigeria, he had redesignated the country as a “Country of Particular Concern.” He made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, writing:
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — But that is the least of it,” he wrote.
He went on to say the U.S. may conduct a military operation in the country if ‘killings of Christians’ continue.
Nigeria, however, denied any genocide against Christians.
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