A member of the United States Congress, Riley M. Moore, has formally presented a congressional report to President Donald Trump calling for sweeping measures to address violence against Christian communities in Nigeria, including the repeal of sharia and blasphemy laws operating in parts of the country.
In a press release issued in Washington, Moore disclosed that he joined members of the House Committees on Appropriations and Foreign Affairs at the White House to submit what he described as a “comprehensive report outlining concrete actions to end the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and counter growing extremist violence in the region.”
The move follows President Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) on 31 October 2025 under the US International Religious Freedom Act.
Moore stated that the President tasked him and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole to lead a congressional investigation into what he termed “the persecution against Christian communities and security challenges plaguing Nigeria.”
According to Moore, the report was the outcome of “months of investigation, including a bipartisan congressional fact-finding trip to Nigeria, hearings with expert witnesses, consultations with religious leaders, meetings with Internally Displaced Persons, and engagement with senior Nigerian government officials.”
“I travelled on a bipartisan delegation to Nigeria and saw with my own eyes the horrific atrocities Christians face, and the instability the Nigerian government must combat,” Moore said.
The document outlines a series of recommendations. These include the establishment of a bilateral US–Nigeria security agreement aimed at protecting vulnerable Christian communities and dismantling jihadist networks.
It also proposes withholding certain US funds “pending demonstrable action by the Nigerian government to stop violence against Christians”, as well as imposing sanctions and visa restrictions on individuals and groups considered responsible for religious persecution.
Among its most contentious recommendations is a call for “the repeal of Sharia and blasphemy laws.”
Twelve northern Nigerian states operate sharia legal systems alongside secular courts, particularly in civil and personal matters for Muslim residents.
The report further recommends “technical support to the Nigerian government to eliminate violence from armed Fulani militias” and urges coordination with international partners, including France, Hungary, and the United Kingdom.
Moore maintained that the document “outlines concrete steps to impose accountability measures, counter radical Islamic terrorism, and lays out a plan to work in coordination and cooperation with the Nigerian government to bring security to all the people of Nigeria.”
“Our brothers and sisters in Christ have suffered in silence for too long. The world is now watching,” he added.
Nigeria has grappled with protracted insecurity for over a decade. The insurgency led by Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, has devastated communities in the North-East.
In the North-West and parts of the North-Central region, armed bandits and criminal gangs have carried out mass kidnappings and attacks on rural settlements.
Successive Nigerian governments have consistently rejected allegations of state-sponsored religious persecution, insisting that insecurity affects Nigerians across religious and ethnic divides.
Authorities in Abuja have maintained that the Federal Government remains committed to protecting freedom of religion and prosecuting criminal elements irrespective of faith.
At the time of filing this report, the White House had yet to announce specific policy measures following the submission.
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