The Nigerian House of Representatives has dismissed claims by the US Senate framing the country’s security challenges as a “genocide against Christians” or evidence of state-sponsored persecution. The response comes after US lawmaker Riley Moore called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to act against what he described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria, calling it the deadliest country in the world for the faith. Moore also urged that Nigeria be redesignated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and that arms sales be suspended until the government demonstrates a “tangible commitment” to ending the violence. In a motion presented by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, the House directed relevant committees to collaborate with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Embassy in Washington D.C., and security agencies to file a formal diplomatic protest against the sponsors of the US resolution within 21 days. The motion, titled “Need for a Coordinated Diplomatic and Domestic Response to the Proposed Nigerian Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 (U.S. Senate Bill 2747),” received unanimous support. Speaking on National Assembly TV, Kalu said the measure was necessary to counter “the mischaracterisation of Nigeria’s security and religious freedom landscape.” “The House outrightly rejects narratives that frame Nigeria’s security crisis as a purely religious conflict or a state-sponsored persecution,” he said. “Our Constitution guarantees freedom of thought, conscience, and religion and bars the adoption of a state religion. Successive administrations, security agencies, and faith leaders have worked to protect all worshippers and prosecute offenders.” Kalu explained that US Senate Bill 2747, introduced on September 9, 2025, seeks to compel the US Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a CPC and impose sanctions on Nigerian officials under the Global Magnitsky framework. He warned that such a move, based on “incomplete or decontextualised assessments,” could distort facts, strain diplomatic relations, and embolden violent actors. He further noted that Nigeria’s security crisis is complex and multi-dimensional, fueled by insurgency, banditry, farmer-herder clashes, separatist violence, and communal conflicts affecting citizens of all faiths. “International reporting attributes a significant portion of fatalities to terrorist groups and criminal gangs, not state policy or any single religious group,” Kalu said. The deputy speaker reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to human rights and religious freedom, emphasizing that violence against any person based on faith is condemned. “We commiserate with all victims, irrespective of religion,” he added. While underscoring Nigeria’s “longstanding partnership with the United States,” the House insisted that the country’s sovereignty must be respected in international discourse.
