The Nigerian House of Representatives has rejected claims by the US Senate suggesting that the country’s security crisis constitutes a “genocide against Christians” or represents state-sponsored persecution.
The development follows US lawmaker Riley Moore’s call for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take diplomatic action over what he described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria, labeling the country the deadliest place for Christians globally. Moore also urged that Nigeria be redesignated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and recommended suspending arms sales until the Nigerian government shows a “tangible commitment” to ending the violence.
In response, the House, led by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, passed a motion directing relevant committees to work with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Embassy in Washington D.C., and security agencies to lodge a formal diplomatic protest against the sponsors of the 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),” was unanimously supported.
Speaking on National Assembly TV, Kalu said the motion 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 singularly religious conflict or a state-sponsored persecution,” he stated. “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 undertaken measures to protect all worshippers and prosecute offenders.”
Kalu noted that the 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 actions, based on “incomplete or decontextualised assessments,” could misrepresent facts, strain diplomatic relations, and embolden violent actors.
He explained that Nigeria’s insecurity is complex and multi-faceted, driven by insurgency, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, separatist violence, and communal disputes affecting citizens of all faiths. “International reporting attributes a significant share of fatalities to terrorist groups and criminal gangs, rather than to state policy or any single religious dynamic,” Kalu added.
Emphasizing Nigeria’s commitment to human rights and religious freedom, he stated, “We condemn all forms of violence and persecution against any person or group on the basis of religion or belief and commiserate with all victims, irrespective of faith.”
The House reaffirmed Nigeria’s “longstanding partnership with the United States as an ally” while stressing that the country’s sovereignty must be respected.