A member of the US house of representatives, Riley Moore, held a meeting on November 19 in Washington, DC, with a delegation of 10 senior Nigerian government officials.
Moore has been one of the US lawmakers strongly vocal about allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
On November 7, he introduced a resolution in the house titled “condemning the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria and supporting President Donald J. Trump’s announcement to officially designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern”.
Among those who met with him were Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser and head of the delegation; Bianca Ojukwu, minister of state for foreign affairs; Kayode Egbetokun, inspector general of police; Lateef Fagbemi, attorney general of the federation; and Olufemi Oluyede, chief of defence staff.
In his statement after the meeting, Moore said “the meeting allowed for a frank, honest, and productive discussion about the ongoing persecution of Christians and ongoing terrorist threats in Nigeria and opportunities for strengthened cooperation and coordination between the United States and Nigeria to end the bloodshed”.
He also relayed to the Nigerian officials that Trump, who previously declared he would enter Nigeria “guns-a-blazing”, does not “make idle threats”.
Moore added that “during the meeting, Nigerian officials shared their government’s challenges and concerns regarding counterterrorism, security assistance, protection of vulnerable communities, and ongoing issues involving violence across Nigeria”.
He further stated that “the United States stands ready to coordinate and cooperate with Nigeria, and that, as President Trump made abundantly clear, the United States will not tolerate continued violence against Christians or other forms of religious persecution”.
The Nigerian government, however, has consistently dismissed claims that Christians are being specifically targeted for killings in the country.