A member of the United States House of Representatives, Riley Moore, has expressed concern over reported attacks on Christians in Nigeria, pointing to recent incidents including the burning of a church in Wukari and insurgent violence in the country’s northeast.
Moore made the remarks in a series of posts on his X account on Friday while reacting to reports that St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral was set on fire on March 4.
Opening his message with a biblical reference, the lawmaker said the challenges confronting Christians in Nigeria remain deeply troubling.
He said, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“At a time like this, there is no greater comfort than the words of our Lord. Christians in Nigeria continue to be attacked for their faith. Recently, terrorists burned down St. Mary’s Cathedral in Wukari, Taraba State.”
Moore also referred to the position of the United States government on religious freedom concerns in Nigeria.
“The United States has declared Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern and we won’t stand idly by as Christians continue to face this violence,” he said.
In another post shared recently, Moore reposted a claim by security analyst Brant Philip regarding insurgent violence in northeastern Nigeria.
The repost referenced a statement attributed to the Islamic State West Africa Province, which allegedly claimed responsibility for attacks in Kirshinga in northeastern Nigeria.
According to the claim cited in the repost, the militants said they killed 27 Christians and burned 10 houses while also demanding that Christians either pay the jizyah tax, convert to Islam, or face death.
Moore further stated that the matter had been raised in a report submitted to the White House, urging stronger action.
He said, “Christians continue to be explicitly targeted for their faith in Nigeria. ISIS West Africa is slaughtering Christians and telling other Christians they must convert or die.
“In our report to the White House, we made it clear that increased American support is contingent on the Nigerian government doing more to defend Christians. Now is the time for Abuja to step up.”
In the same thread, the reposted report by Philip stated that the insurgent group had openly issued threats against Christian communities in the affected area.
Philip wrote, “ISWAP claimed the attacks in Kirshinga, northeast Nigeria, stating that they killed 27 Christians and burned 10 houses. They reiterate their call to Nigerian Christians to either pay the jizyah tax, convert to Islam, or be killed, which they describe as a ‘fair deal’.”
What you should know
Riley Moore is a Republican lawmaker in the United States Congress representing West Virginia.
He has previously spoken about global religious freedom and security issues involving extremist groups. His comments on Nigeria highlight growing international attention to violence linked to insurgent groups such as ISWAP in the country’s northeast.
The group is an offshoot of Boko Haram and has carried out multiple attacks on communities, security forces, and religious groups in the region.
