A high-level United States congressional delegation has concluded a harrowing fact-finding mission to Nigeria, tasked with investigating reports of widespread killings and intercommunal violence. The team is now preparing a critical briefing for President Donald Trump before the end of December.The five-member delegation, led by Congressman Riley Moore, arrived in Nigeria last Sunday and dedicated several days to on-the-ground investigations in Benue State, a major epicenter of the nation’s farmer-herder and sectarian clashes. The itinerary was intensely focused on engaging directly with victims and stakeholders on the front lines of the crisis.In Benue, the U.S. lawmakers visited Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, meeting survivors of recent attacks, Christian religious leaders, traditional rulers, and representatives from devastated communities. The security situation was deemed so perilous that the delegation was required to travel throughout the state in armored vehicles under strict guard.Following their investigations in Benue, the team proceeded to Abuja for high-level consultations with Nigerian federal officials. They held meetings with the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to discuss the government’s perspective and response to the protracted security crisis.In a televised interview on Fox News, Congressman Moore provided an emotional account of the mission, describing it as “the most troubling experience” of his time in public office. “It was really shocking, the stories we heard, the imagery. I have never witnessed anything like that in my life,” Moore stated. He shared specific testimonies collected from survivors, including that of a pregnant woman who witnessed the murder of her five children before escaping to give birth in a camp. “You can see that her soul has literally left her body,” he said. He also recounted meeting a woman who lost her husband, two daughters, and her unborn child.Moore strongly contested official Nigerian narratives that often attribute the violence primarily to resource competition or climate-induced conflicts. He pointed to attacks on clearly religious and humanitarian sites as evidence of a more sinister motive. “For those who say this is about climate change or economics, why would you burn down a church? Why would you attack an IDP camp screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’?” Moore questioned. “It is very clear what the answer is. They are trying to erase Christians in Benue State and across Nigeria from their ancestral homeland.”He asserted that the delegation’s core mission was to gather the “ground truth” by meeting with Catholic and Protestant bishops and community heads in one of “the most dangerous states in Nigeria,” where he claimed “the majority of Christians are being murdered for their faith.”Congressman Moore confirmed that the mission was undertaken at the direct instruction of President Trump, who tasked him and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole with preparing a comprehensive report on their findings. This report is now being finalized and will be presented directly to the President before the month’s end, potentially shaping future U.S. policy and engagement regarding Nigeria’s ongoing security and humanitarian crisis.
