A United States lawmaker, Mary Miller, has accused radical Islam of being responsible for the deaths of thousands of Christians in Nigeria, describing the ideology as dangerous and unacceptable.
Miller made the remarks in a post on social media, where she said radical Islam was behind the large scale killing of Christians in Nigeria and other parts of the world. She added that such an ideology had no place in the United States.
Her comments come amid increasing pressure from the United States on Nigeria over what American officials have described as widespread and systematic attacks against Christians.
Earlier, the United States government said it would take action over what it referred to as a genocide against Christians in Nigeria. This position was highlighted by the House Committee on Appropriations in a statement issued on Wednesday while reacting to comments by Congressman Riley Moore, who recently visited Benue State.
Moore said he travelled to Benue to meet Christians living in Internally Displaced Persons camps after fleeing violent attacks. He said many of those he met shared deeply disturbing accounts of violence that had forced them from their homes.
According to Moore, some victims described witnessing the murder of family members, including women who were forced to watch the killing of their husbands and children. He added that others recounted losing entire families in brutal attacks, with survivors left permanently injured or traumatised. Moore said there were more than 600000 Christians currently living in IDP camps in Benue State alone.
He stated that the affected communities should be able to live in their ancestral homes without fear, stressing that the violence had displaced large numbers of people.
In response, the United States House Committee on Appropriations said the country would not ignore the loss of innocent lives. The committee said that, under the direction of President Donald Trump, lawmakers carried out an on the ground mission to assess Christian persecution in Nigeria and to inform policy recommendations. It added that religious freedom and responses to mass atrocities were central to its national security and foreign policy considerations.
Previously, concerns had also been raised by Moore about Nigeria’s worsening security situation. He warned that significant efforts were still needed to address terrorism and violent attacks, particularly in the North East and Middle Belt regions.
Moore said he met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, where discussions focused on the growing threat of terrorism and continued killings. He described the issue as a matter of concern to both President Trump and himself.
According to the congressman, talks with Nigerian officials centred on specific measures which, if fully implemented, could improve security nationwide, weaken terrorist groups in the North East, and halt attacks on Christian communities, especially in the Middle Belt.
While acknowledging some progress, Moore said Nigeria’s security challenges remained unresolved. He expressed optimism about continued engagement with the Nigerian government and said he looked forward to further steps and open dialogue. He concluded his remarks by wishing peace to Nigerians and offering a message of goodwill to the country.
