Dear Representative
@RepRileyMoore,
I write to you with grave concern regarding the breadth and character of Christian persecution in Nigeria and the role of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in enabling, normalising, or failing to prevent these abuses. Public discussion has too often narrowed this crisis to Fulani actors in northern Nigeria. This framing is incomplete and misleading. There is mounting evidence that APC officials across regions, not only Fulani actors are implicated through negligence, complicity, political cover, or direct abuse of state power.
Equally important, Christian persecution in Nigeria is not confined to killings alone. It includes extrajudicial violence, mass arrests, abductions, extortion, electoral brutality, disenfranchisement, manipulation of results, destruction of livelihoods, and targeted arson against Christian communities and businesses in the SOUTHERN region of Nigerian These abuses constitute a pattern of systemic repression rather than isolated security failures.
Critically, insufficient attention has been paid to Eastern Nigeria —the largest predominantly Christian bloc in the country — which is currently experiencing multiple, intersecting forms of persecution under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Reports from civil society, local legal groups, and independent observers indicate:
Extrajudicial killings by armed elements allegedly operating within or alongside security forces made up of ex bokoharam
Abductions of Christian commuters on major highways in the East;
Mass arrests, arbitrary detention, and extortion of innocent Christian civilians;
Severe human-rights violations during the 2023 elections, including brutality, intimidation, and disenfranchisement of voters;
and politically linked vandalism and arson of Christian-owned businesses in Lagos that resulted in loss of life and livelihoods.
Rather than addressing these realities, the federal government reportedly committed $9 million in public funds to U.S. lobbying to manage international perceptions — a move widely interpreted as an attempt to deflect scrutiny rather than protect vulnerable citizens.
Taken together, these developments demonstrate that the crisis is structural, political, and partisan — rooted in the conduct of the APC — and therefore requires structural, not cosmetic, remedies.
I summarise the core issues that warrant congressional attention:
1.Pattern of violence against Christians nationwide, including in the East.
2.Systemic human rights abuses — arbitrary arrests, extortion, and excessive force by security actors made up of recruited ex boko haram members particularly in Eastern states.
3.Election-related abuses in 2023, including intimidation, disenfranchisement, and irregularities that disproportionately affected Christian-majority areas.
4.Targeted destruction of Christian property, including arson in Lagos that resulted in fatalities.
5.Questionable foreign policy alignments and security partnerships that have not translated into civilian protection, accountability, or justice—Tinubu’s defence pact with Turkey.
6.Use of public funds for U.S. lobbying rather than for domestic security reform or victim compensation.
These trends collectively suggest that the problem is not merely insurgency, but governance failure under the APC.
The U.S. should back a peaceful pathway to separation, given the state’s failure to protect religious minorities in all parts of Nigeria, not just the North.
Congress should impose sanction on all implicated APC officials, including President Tinubu where warranted, not just actors from the North.
Formal U.S. scrutiny must extend to Eastern Nigeria, covering security-force conduct, abductions, extortion, 2023 election abuses, and politically linked arson in Lagos and other cities.
Washington should press for a legal review of the APC—with the possibility of its dissolution—following court-led accountability models similar to Canada