Nigeria’s Governance Failures Under Scrutiny as Congress Probes Religious Violence Claims

The United States House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee on Thursday held a public hearing on religious persecution in Nigeria, with lawmakers and expert witnesses delivering sharply contrasting assessments of the country’s worsening security situation amid President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC). The session, convened at a moment of heightened scrutiny of Nigeria’s human rights record, frequently returned to a central theme raised by several participants: that Nigeria is facing the consequences of its own longstanding governance failures.

The hearing brought together members of Congress, human rights advocates and civil society leaders to examine violence affecting religious communities, particularly in northern and central Nigeria. While some speakers framed the crisis primarily as targeted Christian persecution, others argued that the insecurity is broader, more complex and rooted in systemic state dysfunction.

Committee Chair Chris Smith opened the proceedings with an urgent depiction of the situation, citing data from groups like Open Doors and Intersociety to argue that Christian communities in Nigeria are under sustained assault by extremist elements including Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province and armed herder militias. He referenced figures suggesting tens of thousands of Christian and moderate Muslim deaths since 2009, as well as thousands of attacked churches and mass displacement across the Middle Belt. 

According to Smith, Nigeria’s continued instability and the government’s failure to provide adequate protection justify the CPC redesignation. He called for strong U.S. action, including providing foreign assistance on the condition of measurable improvements in Nigeria’s response to the insecurity crisis, offering humanitarian support to faith-based organisations in affected areas and imposing targeted sanctions — using visa bans and asset freezes against individuals and entities responsible for these gross human rights abuses.

However, other members of Congress pushed back on characterisations presented during the hearing. Congresswoman Sara Jacobs criticised what she described as the “reckless” framing of Nigeria’s situation by former President Trump, warning that attributing the country’s violence solely to anti-Christian sentiment overlooks the experiences of Muslim communities also affected by terrorism, banditry and communal conflict. She stressed that any U.S. military intervention would be illegal without congressional authorisation and argued that Nigeria’s insecurity is the product of multi-layered drivers, not a singular religious agenda.

The witnesses reflected this divide. Oge Onubogu, Director and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies Africa Programme, argued that presenting Nigeria’s crisis as Christian persecution oversimplifies a far more complex reality. Drawing on her experience growing up in Jos, she described the insecurity as rooted in governance failures that have weakened public trust, allowed extremist groups to exploit local grievances and enabled misinformation and hate speech to escalate tensions. She cautioned against unilateral U.S. military involvement, saying such intervention could inflame divisions. She also urged the Nigerian government to strengthen diplomatic engagement, including the appointment of a capable ambassador to the United States.

In contrast, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi delivered a stark assessment of the hardships facing Christian communities in Benue and neighbouring states. Speaking virtually, he described increasing attacks on churches and religious orders and detailed instances of sexual violence used as a weapon against women. Citing recent assaults, including a May 22 attack on his hometown that displaced an entire convent of the Order of St. Clare, he accused the Nigerian government of failing to adequately confront extremist violence.

That sentiment was echoed by Congressman Bill Huizenga, a co-sponsor of the resolution supporting the CPC redesignation, who accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of “not doing enough” to stem the insecurity.

Throughout the hearing, several lawmakers and analysts acknowledged that Nigeria’s challenges have deepened over many years and across multiple administrations, creating a situation in which non-state actors have expanded their influence while federal and state institutions struggle to respond effectively. The result, they noted, is a crisis increasingly attracting international attention and prompting foreign governments to step in where Nigeria’s security apparatus has fallen short.

The subcommittee ended the session without a consensus on next steps, but members from both parties agreed that Nigeria’s security breakdown continues to pose a humanitarian and regional threat. The debate underscored the competing narratives shaping U.S. policy toward Nigeria: one emphasising targeted religious persecution and another pointing to structural failures within the Nigerian state that have allowed violence to flourish.