FG’s Delegation Set to Visit US Amid Christian Genocide Claims

•US reps insist there are brutal killings in Nigeria

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Top government officials, including federal lawmakers as well as senior military and security agency heads, are set to head to the US in a bid to engage the Congress over allegations of genocide against the Christian community in Nigeria.

Specifically, the addition of some top Senate officials on the delegation stemmed from a resolution adopted by the 10th Senate on a motion introduced by Senator Ali Ndume, who is a former Chief Whip of the Chamber.

Ndume’s motion called for “putting the record straight” and urging the United States to refrain from sanctioning the country over the purported genocide.

Checks by THISDAY confirmed that the team is expected to travel to Washington DC from next week.

The sources said the delegation will present evidence to US lawmakers to refute claims that the Nigerian State is engaged in a concerted, targeted campaign of genocide against Christians.

In recent weeks, a wave of statements by US lawmakers and advocacy groups has placed Nigeria under intense international scrutiny.

 US Senator, Ted Cruz, has accused Nigeria of “mass murder” of Christians and introduced the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025” (S.2747) which would seek to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and impose sanctions on officials alleged to facilitate violence against Christians.

In response, the Nigerian Senate in early October rejected the narrative of Christian genocide, describing it as “false and dangerous”.

The Senate’s motion warned that Nigeria’s security challenges are multi-faceted-driven by terrorism, banditry, communal land disputes and herder-farmer conflicts, not by a state-sponsored initiative against a religious group.

According to the US-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), from January 2020 to September 2025, there were over 11,800 recorded attacks on civilians in Nigeria; among those, 385 attacks where the Christian identity of victims was a factor, resulting in 317 deaths. In the same period, 196 attacks targeting Muslims saw 417 deaths.

The Nigerian government considers the upcoming delegation’s mission to Washington as critical for defending the country’s international reputation, safeguarding bilateral relations with the United States, and averting potential sanctions that could affect security cooperation and financing.

On the US side, passage of the proposed bill would mark a major shift: Nigeria could re-enter the list of “Countries of Particular Concern,” triggering US arms embargoes, visa restrictions and other sanctions, a path the government is keen to avoid.

Equally, Nigeria will face pressure to show concrete progress in reducing violence, prosecuting perpetrators, and addressing root causes such as land disputes, poverty and climate-driven migration.

Meanwhile, US lawmakers, Anna Luna as well as Nancy Mace, have maintained that there is evidence of Christian genocide in Nigeria, urging the world to stand together in their defence.

“Christians are being hunted and slaughtered in Nigeria for their faith — and the world stays silent. If this were any other group, there’d be global outrage,” Luna stated on her twitter handle.

In the same vein, Mace wrote: Defend Nigerian Christians. Romanian fans at the World Cup Qualifier said what some world leaders fear to confess: faith in Christ is worth defending. Islamic terrorists are killing believers for worshipping Christianity while the world is looking the other way.”