US Congress to Hold Hearing on Alleged Killing of Christians in Nigeria, Tinubu Government Under Pressure

The administration of President Bola Tinubu is set to face fresh scrutiny as the United States House of Representatives prepares to hold a hearing on alleged killings of Christians and efforts to address religious violence in Nigeria.

The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 11 am at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. It will also be streamed live on YouTube.

Chris Smith, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, will lead the session. His office announced the hearing on Monday under the title, “One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt.”

US lawmakers are expected to examine Nigeria’s progress over the past year in protecting Christians, securing the Middle Belt and bringing those responsible for religious attacks, including Boko Haram, to justice.

Two panels are scheduled to testify. The first will feature Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.

The second panel will comprise Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute, Ryan Brown, chief executive officer of Open Doors US, and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Lawmakers will also consider possible measures the United States could take to pressure Nigerian authorities to prevent attacks against Christians and non-radical Muslim communities.

The development comes nearly one year after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged religious persecution. Trump had initially placed Nigeria on the list in 2020, but former President Joe Biden removed the country after taking office.

On October 31, 2025, Trump restored Nigeria’s CPC status, claiming Christianity faced an existential threat in the country and accusing radical Islamist groups of killing thousands of Christians. He also threatened to suspend US aid and warned that military action could follow if the Nigerian government failed to stop the violence.

In a statement on November 1, 2025, Trump said: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA 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.

“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.”

Nigeria and the United States have since established a military partnership aimed at tackling terrorist groups operating in northern Nigeria.