US House holds hearing Thursday on Nigeria's Christian persecution record, could threaten aid
US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa convenes a hearing Thursday, November 12 at 11am ET (4pm WAT) to assess Nigeria's efforts to protect Christians and secure the Middle Belt over the past year. The session, titled 'One Year Later,' will stream live on YouTube from the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C.
Chairman Chris Smith leads two panels: first, Frank Garcia (Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs) and Riley Barnes (Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor); second, Nina Shea (Hudson Institute), Ryan Brown (Open Doors US CEO), and Oge Onubogu (CSIS). Lawmakers will evaluate whether Nigeria has punished perpetrators of religious attacks, including Boko Haram, and discuss potential US actions to compel better protection for Christians and non-radical Muslims.
This follows almost exactly one year after President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern on October 31, 2025—reversing Biden's 2021 removal. Trump had warned of stopping all US aid and threatened military action 'guns-a-blazing' against Islamic terrorists if killings continued. Since then, Nigeria and the US have entered a military partnership targeting terrorist groups in the north.
The hearing puts direct congressional pressure on the Tinubu administration amid ongoing Middle Belt violence. Outcomes could influence US aid flows, security cooperation, and Nigeria's international standing on religious freedom.
With the session public and live-streamed, Nigerians can witness the testimony firsthand. How should the government balance addressing legitimate international concerns about religious violence with sovereignty and domestic security realities?