The United States Congress will on Thursday hold a high-level hearing on allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria, following President Donald Trump’s recent decision to once again classify the country as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.
The session will be chaired by the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, Chris Smith, who has been one of the leading voices in Washington, raising concerns about religious-based violence in Nigeria.
Smith earlier introduced a resolution calling attention to what he described as the “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom, and urging a stronger U.S policy response.
In that resolution, Smith identified the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as erring entities.
He recommended targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes on individuals linked to the organisations.
The resolution also urged the US government to add “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau States to the Entities of Particular Concern (EPC) list.
According to Smith’s office, Thursday’s hearing will scrutinise what lawmakers describe as the “ongoing religious persecution of Christians by radical Islamists”, the wide-reaching implications of Trump’s re-designation of Nigeria as a CPC, and the course of action the US State Department should follow in response to the “Nigerian government’s complicity in these crimes.”
The first panel of witnesses includes Jonathan Pratt, the State Department’s senior bureau official for African Affairs, and Jacob McGee, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour.
The second panel will feature Nina Shea, senior fellow and director of the Centre for Religious Freedom; Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Diocese, who has repeatedly raised alarm about attacks on rural Christian communities in Benue, and Oge Onubogu, director and senior fellow of the Africa Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
While several US lawmakers and advocacy organisations argue that Christians in the Middle Belt and parts of the North-West face targeted violence, the Nigerian government disputes the narrative, insisting the conflict is driven more by terrorism, banditry, and land disputes rather than specifically Christian persecution.
