A United States lawmaker (US), Riley Moore, has called on the administration of President Donald Trump to take what he described as “forceful action” to protect Christians in Nigeria following renewed violence in Plateau State.
Moore made the appeal in a statement issued on Thursday while reacting to reports and videos circulating online from Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, where gunmen reportedly attacked mourners during a mass burial on Wednesday.
According to reports, several people were feared killed and many others injured after armed assailants opened fire on residents gathered to bury seven victims who had earlier been killed in the community. As of the time of filing this report, the police had yet to officially confirm the incident.
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In his statement, Moore criticised the Nigerian government’s handling of insecurity in Plateau State, contrasting it with Nigeria’s military intervention in neighbouring Benin Republic during an attempted coup in December 2025.
“When I visited Nigeria, the government responded swiftly to quell a coup in Benin,” Moore said, referring to Nigeria’s deployment of troops and fighter jets to support the Beninese authorities during the attempted takeover.
“Nigeria’s willingness to step in to stop a violent attack in another country, while they stand by as their own Christian citizens are brutalised, makes these absolutely horrific scenes unfolding in Plateau State all the more unconscionable,” he added.
The US lawmaker alleged that Christians gathered for a mass burial “were viciously murdered by radical Islamic terrorists”, claiming the Nigerian government failed to respond despite warnings of impending attacks.
“The Nigerian Government could root out the terrorism and stop the martyrdom of its own citizens. But, despite receiving early warnings of impending attacks, they are nowhere to be found as Christians are murdered for their faith, like lambs led to slaughter. Enough is enough,” Moore stated.
He further noted that he was encouraged by what he described as the Trump administration’s focus on the protection of Christians in Nigeria within its counterterrorism strategy.
“Now, I am asking the Trump Administration to take forceful action to defend our innocent brothers and sisters in Christ in the Middle Belt of Nigeria, the epicentre of an ongoing Christian genocide,” he said.
Moore’s remarks received support from Sean Nelson, who described the statement as “very forceful”.
In a post on X, Nelson said Moore was correct in criticising Nigerian officials over what he termed their ineffective response to early warnings of attacks against Christian communities.
The latest violence reportedly occurred in the Fan District of Barkin Ladi, where mourners gathering for a burial ceremony came under gunfire from attackers said to have emerged from surrounding hills.
An eyewitness, journalist Masara Kim, said several communities south of Jos were simultaneously attacked.
“There is an ongoing massive attack on communities south of Jos. More than five communities are under simultaneous assault. While we were at the burial site, the attackers emerged from the hills and began shooting,” he said.
Kim added that mourners fled the area for safety after the attackers disrupted burial preparations.
The incident has renewed debate among some American conservative politicians and advocacy groups, including allies of Trump and Senator Ted Cruz, who have repeatedly claimed that Christians in Nigeria are facing genocide by Islamist militants.
However, the Nigerian government has consistently rejected such allegations, insisting that insecurity in the country affects both Christians and Muslims and is fuelled by criminality, insurgency and communal conflicts rather than targeted religious persecution.
