U.S. LAWMAKERS CRITICIZE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT OVER RISING INSECURITY

Lawmakers in the United States have accused the Nigerian government of failing to adequately address the escalating insecurity and ongoing killings across the country.

The concerns were raised yesterday during a joint congressional briefing of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, which focused on alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria, and President DONALD TRUMP’S redesignation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern”.

Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, CHRIS SMITH, stated that the United States would hold the Nigerian government accountable for the widespread violence, while representative BRIAN MASTendorsed President TRUMP’S stance, stressing that the U.S. “must demand that the Nigerian government disarm these militias, return displaced families to their homes, and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

During the briefing, U.S. lawmakers were urged to exert pressure on the Nigerian government to abolish Sharia law in northern states where it has been implemented and to disband the Hisbah religious-enforcement commissions, with experts warning that these laws and institutions are contributing to systematic anti-Christian persecution.

EBENEZER OBADARE of the Council on Foreign Relations testified that key drivers of violence, Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and radicalised Fulani militants, leverage Sharia frameworks and Hisbah structures to propagate extremist ideology, enforce forced conversions, and operate with near total impunity.