Congressman Calls Out Fulani Militants: A Genocide Alert, To Report To Trump

U.S. Republican Congressman Riley Moore has claimed that a surge of violent attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt constitutes a "genocidal campaign." He promised to inform President Donald Trump after leading a risky Congressional delegation to Benue State. Speaking on Fox News’ The Faulkner Focus, Moore mentioned that he and four other members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee visited several Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Benue, using armored vehicles due to increasing insecurity. He stated that the delegation met with Catholic Bishops Wilfred Anagbe and Stephen Dugu, the Tor Tiv, and many displaced victims, "all of whom are Christians." Moore asserted that Fulani militants, whom he labeled as "Islamic radicals," were frequently attacking IDP camps and destroying Christian communities. He shared the story of a woman who had to witness "five of her children murdered in front of her" by attackers. "She was pregnant at the time and managed to escape. She gave birth to that baby at an IDP camp. Her spirit had truly left her body," he recounted.

In another instance, Moore described how a woman’s unborn child was "cut out of her" after her husband and two daughters were killed in a different attack. The Congressman rejected long-held explanations that the violence is due to climate issues, land disputes, or economic competition, narratives often referenced by researchers and Nigerian officials. "If this is climate change, why burn a church? Why attack an IDP camp while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’?” he questioned. "They are attempting to eliminate Christians from their ancestral homeland in Benue State and throughout Nigeria," he asserted. Moore revealed that President Trump had instructed him and House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole to create a detailed report on how the U.S. should interact with Nigerian authorities regarding the crisis. He mentioned that the Benue trip was a "fact-finding mission" to collect "ground truth," with the report anticipated to be submitted before the end of the month.

He further emphasized that the IDP camps are not the safe places that Nigerian officials claim they are. "These camps lack protection. People are scared," he stated. Moore’s statements highlight a long-standing debate about violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where many have lost their lives over the years due to conflicts between farming communities and armed herders. Photo credit: Riley Moore's Facebook page