A heated debate in the United States Congress has intensified global scrutiny on Nigeria’s handling of religious violence, as Congressman Bill Huizenga accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to confront what he described as relentless, targeted attacks on Christians across the country.
The remarks were delivered yesterday during a congressional hearing on the alleged genocide against Christians in Nigeria, a session that drew emotional reactions from attendees familiar with years of sectarian bloodshed.
Huizenga argued that the Nigerian government’s response has fallen far short of the urgency the crisis demands.
The lawmaker referenced the massacre of about 200 worshippers, noting that the scale of violence has not improved despite repeated international appeals.
Furthermore, he questioned why the pattern of attacks overwhelmingly targets Christian communities, especially in regions dominated by radical Islamist groups.
In his words, the disparity is glaring. “Christians are disproportionately targeted based on their population,” Huizenga said, observing that even those seated behind the witnesses nodded in agreement.
He described their reactions as the testimony of people who “have lived this” and who “know this is going on.”
He also rejected claims by some American officials and Nigerian representatives that the crisis has been exaggerated.
According to him, both the media and some members of Congress have downplayed the situation, thereby enabling continued attacks on Christians, moderate Muslims and rural communities caught in the violence.
Huizenga criticised the Tinubu administration directly, saying the government has shown “a troubling level of passivity” in confronting extremist groups responsible for the killings.
He revealed that he had recently been interviewed by Arise TV, where he stated bluntly that the Nigerian government “is not doing enough” to protect vulnerable citizens.
The congressman went further to condemn Nigerian delegations that visit Washington to “downplay” the scale of the carnage.
Huizenga described such efforts as unacceptable, insisting that the international community must acknowledge the crisis for what it is.
“It should be rejected and called out for what it is,” he stressed, urging stronger action to prevent further bloodshed and hold perpetrators accountable.
AFRIPOST reports that the congressional exchange has reignited conversations about Nigeria’s security failures, minority rights, and how much pressure Washington may apply going forward.