By Obinna Uballa
The United States House Appropriations Committee will hold a joint congressional briefing on Tuesday to examine the escalating violence and targeted persecution of Christians in Nigeria, committee officials announced.
The session, convened by House Appropriations Committee Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart, will include members of the Foreign Affairs and Financial Services Committees. Representatives from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and other experts are also scheduled to participate.
According to the notice shared by US Congressman Riley Moore on X, the briefing aims “to spotlight the escalating violence and targeted persecution of Christians in Nigeria” and collect testimony for a comprehensive report “directed by President Trump on the massacre of Nigerian Christians and the steps Congress can take to support the White House’s efforts to protect vulnerable faith communities worldwide.”
Committee officials said the roundtable will provide lawmakers with essential insights into the conditions facing religious minorities in Nigeria, helping to shape policy and US responses.
The briefing coincides with strengthened US–Nigeria security cooperation. President Bola Tinubu recently approved Nigeria’s team for the new US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, established to implement security agreements from high-level talks in Washington led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The group, comprising senior ministers and security officials, is tasked with enhancing counterterrorism operations, intelligence sharing, border security, and coordination on humanitarian and civilian protection issues.
The initiative reflects growing international concern over terrorism, banditry, and targeted attacks on Christians in Nigeria, prompting increased US scrutiny and engagement on safeguarding vulnerable faith communities.
