United States Congressman Riley Moore has announced plans to introduce a resolution in the House of Representatives condemning what he described as the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Moore disclosed this in a post on his X account on Thursday, stating that the measure would be formally introduced on Friday.
“Tomorrow I will introduce a new resolution condemning the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria and supporting President Trump’s efforts to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ. Thousands have been killed for their faith, and the world has looked away for far too long,” he wrote.
The West Virginia Republican expressed gratitude to former U.S. President Donald Trump, saying, “Thank you, President Trump, for your incredible leadership in defending all persecuted Christians in Nigeria, and I am grateful for your trust in me to lead this effort in the House alongside Chairman Tom Cole.”
In an interview with the New York Post, Moore said he hoped the resolution would help stop the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, describing the threat they face from Boko Haram and other Islamist groups as “existential.” According to him, “For too long, the slaughtering of Christians has been ignored. No more. I urge my colleagues, Republican and Democrat alike, to join me in sending a clear message that the United States will not stay silent while our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer grave persecution, and even martyrdom, for their faith in Jesus Christ.”
Moore reiterated his appreciation for Trump’s “incredible leadership in defending persecuted Christians in Nigeria,” adding that the former president’s “bold actions will save the lives of thousands of Christians.”
According to his office, the resolution calls on the U.S. Government to use all available diplomatic, economic, and security tools to pressure the Nigerian Government to protect Christians and other vulnerable groups. It also urges the Nigerian authorities to return internally displaced persons to their homelands, particularly Christian communities, repeal blasphemy laws, and release all individuals detained for their faith.
The resolution further encourages coordination with international partners to deliver humanitarian assistance directly to victims through trusted nongovernmental and faith-based organisations. It reaffirms the United States’ commitment to stand in solidarity with Christians and defend their right to practice their faith freely and without fear.
A spokeswoman for Moore said the initiative aims to broaden support among faith-based and human rights advocates while reasserting the U.S. role as a defender of religious freedom. The text of the resolution reportedly details how Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani militants have “systematically targeted Christian communities through massacres, church burnings, kidnappings, and sexual violence,” leaving villages destroyed and millions displaced.
“These attacks are not random or merely intercommunal,” it notes, “but deliberate campaigns of religious cleansing,” referencing major assaults during Christian holy days such as the 2022 Pentecost Massacre, the 2023 Christmas Eve massacre, and the Holy Week 2025 killings that claimed hundreds of lives.
Former President Trump, who has repeatedly accused Nigeria of failing to protect its Christian population, had warned in a post on Truth Social last Saturday that the U.S. could take military action if the killings persist. “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians the U.S.A will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” he wrote.
Trump added, “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”
Responding on Friday, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government “will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion.” The ministry’s statement read, “Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength. Nigeria is a God-fearing country where we respect faith, tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, in concurrence with the rules-based international order.”
Moore’s resolution comes amid heightened debate in Washington over U.S. foreign policy on religious freedom under President Joe Biden’s administration, which removed Nigeria from the State Department’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern” — a designation Trump had reinstated while in office. Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz has introduced a separate bill that would impose sanctions on Nigerian officials who permit religious violence or enforce sharia and blasphemy laws that, in some cases, carry the death penalty.
