By Obinna Uballa
A joint hearing of the United States Congress Foreign Affairs Committee holds on Wednesday with Nigeria emerging as a central focus amid allegations of widespread violence against Christians and the recent deployment of a small team of American military officers to the country.
The session, titled “Defending religious freedom around the world,” is convened by the House Subcommittee on Africa and the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere to examine what US lawmakers describe as rising global threats to religious freedom.
Written testimonies released ahead of the hearing warn that Nigeria risks sliding into broader Christian-Muslim violence if current patterns of killings, displacement and insecurity are not urgently addressed.
Among those scheduled to testify are former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback; Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom at the US State Department, Mark Walker; Grace Drexel, daughter of detained Chinese pastor Ezra Jin; and Dr Stephen Schneck, former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
In his prepared testimony, Brownback described Nigeria as “the deadliest place on the planet to be a Christian,” warning that militant Islamist movements active across parts of Africa and the Middle East are extending their influence into the country.
He argued that religious persecution has become a significant geopolitical fault line and urged the US government to treat communities of faith under threat as key allies in the promotion of freedom.
Brownback also raised concerns about foreign involvement in Nigeria’s security space, citing the influence of countries such as China, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which he said could complicate the situation if not carefully monitored.
Schneck, in his submission, described freedom of religion or belief as being in a “historic crisis” globally, driven by authoritarian governance, religious nationalism and state failure. He identified Nigeria, Syria and Sudan as examples of countries where insecurity and weak governance structures have left religious communities vulnerable.
He cautioned against framing the issue solely as Christian persecution, stressing that international human rights law protects all faiths and belief systems. Schneck also criticised what he described as inconsistent implementation of the US International Religious Freedom Act, arguing that Washington has often failed to match strong rhetoric with sustained, strategic action.
The hearing comes amid heightened diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the United States following last year’s decision by US President Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations.
That move was followed by US airstrikes on suspected extremist hideouts in Sokoto State on December 25, 2025, targeting elements linked to the Islamic State as part of counter-terrorism operations.
In a further development this week, the commander of US Africa Command, General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, confirmed on Tuesday that a small team of US military officers has been dispatched to Nigeria. He said the deployment followed discussions with President Bola Tinubu and is intended to strengthen intelligence sharing and support Nigeria’s ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.
Anderson said the American team brings “unique capabilities” to complement Nigeria’s security operations but did not disclose when the personnel arrived or the exact scope of their mission.
The deployment is the latest step in expanding military cooperation between the two countries, coming amid repeated claims by President Trump that Nigeria has not done enough to protect its Christian population.
The Nigerian government has consistently rejected allegations of systemic Christian persecution, maintaining that insurgent and criminal groups target Nigerians irrespective of their faith.
Officials in Abuja argue that the country’s security crisis is rooted in terrorism, banditry and organised crime rather than religious cleansing, pointing to the activities of Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province and armed bandit groups operating across several regions.
Recent incidents have nonetheless heightened international concern. Last month, gunmen attacked three churches in Kaduna State, abducting 168 worshippers in coordinated assaults that underscored the scale of insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria.
The diplomatic dispute has led to increased engagement between the two countries. Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, recently hosted a US congressional delegation in Abuja, where discussions centred on counter-terrorism cooperation and regional stability.
There was also a plenary session of the Nigeria-US Joint Working Group on Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern, aimed at reviewing concerns and improving mutual understanding.
While US lawmakers and witnesses prepare to highlight Nigeria as a major flashpoint in the global religious freedom debate, Nigerian authorities continue to push back against what they describe as a misleading narrative that oversimplifies a complex security challenge.
