The United States Congress is set to renew scrutiny of Nigeria’s handling of religious violence and insecurity, with lawmakers preparing another hearing on attacks against Christian communities and the worsening security situation in the Middle Belt.
The hearing, scheduled for Thursday, November 12, will examine the Federal Government’s efforts to protect vulnerable communities, prosecute perpetrators of violence and address attacks attributed to extremist groups.
The development comes amid growing international concern over insecurity in Nigeria, particularly as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that nearly 64,000 Nigerians have fled to neighbouring Niger this year to escape attacks by Islamist militants and armed gangs.
US Congress schedules fresh hearing
The hearing, titled ‘One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt’, will be convened by the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and chaired by Republican Congressman Chris Smith.
According to a notice from Smith’s office, lawmakers will examine the activities of extremist organisations, including Boko Haram, the Nigerian government’s response to religious violence and possible measures Washington could take to protect vulnerable populations.
Smith said the session would mark his 14th congressional hearing on what he described as the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Two panels of witnesses are expected to participate.
The first panel will feature Frank Garcia, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.
The second panel will include Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute, Ryan Brown of Open Doors US and Oge Onubogu, Director of the Africa Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
The hearing will take place at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, and will also be streamed online.
Nearly 64,000 Nigerians flee to Niger
The renewed congressional attention comes as Nigeria faces a growing humanitarian crisis driven by insecurity.
According to UNHCR, nearly 64,000 Nigerians have crossed into neighbouring Niger this year to escape attacks by armed groups and Islamist militants.
The influx is putting additional pressure on Niger, which already hosts more than 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, including approximately 327,500 Nigerians.
Several hundred Nigerians have also sought refuge in Benin.
Most of the newly arrived refugees have settled in Niger’s border regions of Diffa and Tahoua.
More than 23,000 people, over two-thirds of them children, have arrived in Diffa since the beginning of the year.
UNHCR spokesperson Dominique Hyde said many newly arrived refugees, particularly children, were struggling with limited access to food, clean water, shelter and essential services.
Humanitarian resources are reportedly falling critically short as families continue to live in makeshift shelters.
Aid agencies have also raised concerns about malnutrition, respiratory infections and poor sanitation among displaced populations.
Protection challenges remain significant, with only about five per cent of refugees who arrived in Niger this year formally registered.
APC promises 78,000 additional security personnel
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has pledged to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture under President Bola Tinubu’s proposed second-term agenda.
The party promised to recruit 28,000 additional military personnel and 50,000 police officers, bringing the proposed new security recruitment figure to 78,000.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this during the presentation of the party’s manifesto in Abuja.
Oduwole, who is also Deputy Director of the APC Presidential Campaign Council’s Directorate of Manifesto and Policy Development, said the party would prioritise the protection of lives and property.
The APC also promised to complete and equip four new Army divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City.
Other proposed measures include intelligence-led military operations against insurgents and kidnapping networks, alongside the deployment of trained Forest Guards, Agro-Rangers and Mining Marshals to protect farming communities, forests and mineral resources.
The party’s manifesto is built around four major pillars: national security, improved living conditions, economic growth and accountable governance.
ADC dismisses Tinubu’s campaign promises
However, the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has criticised the APC’s campaign promises, describing them as divisive, vague and uninspiring.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Okogbodiyan, the council accused Tinubu’s administration of recycling promises without providing a convincing account of its performance.
The opposition group demanded explanations about government borrowings, fuel subsidy removal, worsening insecurity, hunger and the rising cost of living.
It also challenged the President to account for his electricity pledge, recalling his earlier declaration: “If I don’t give you electricity, don’t vote for me for a second term.”
The ADC-PCC argued that millions of Nigerians continue to experience unreliable electricity supply despite the administration’s promises.
It also questioned the government’s agricultural initiatives, particularly the reported importation of 2,000 tractors from Brazil, alleging that they had yet to make a meaningful impact on agricultural productivity.
The council further accused Tinubu of taking credit for projects initiated by his predecessor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
It urged Nigerians to vote against the APC in 2027 and support the ADC.
Donald Duke warns of possible national crisis
Similarly, presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has warned that Nigeria risks another civil war if political tensions continue to escalate.
Speaking at the party’s national retreat for its officers and candidates in Abuja, the former Cross River State governor accused the APC administration of using state institutions to weaken opposition parties.
Duke drew parallels between the country’s current political atmosphere and events preceding the 1966 military intervention and subsequent civil war, which he said claimed more than three million lives.
He warned that the inability of opposition parties to collectively challenge alleged abuses of state power could push the country towards another national crisis.
Duke also questioned the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), expressing concern over what he described as the emergence of more than 10 million artificial intelligence-generated registered voters.
He called on opposition parties to establish a common front around a shared national vision rather than focusing exclusively on who would emerge as their presidential candidate.
The PRP candidate also indicated his willingness to step down for another presidential candidate if opposition parties reached a consensus.
Obi demands urgent action to protect Nigerians
Meanwhile, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called for urgent measures to address insecurity, insisting that Nigeria cannot achieve meaningful development while citizens continue to live in fear.
Obi made the call during a courtesy visit to the Plateau State Traditional Council in Jos, ahead of a town hall meeting as part of his consultations with Nigerians before the 2027 general elections.
He explained that the consultations were designed to allow him to listen to communities, understand their challenges and develop solutions based on their needs.
“When you want to serve, you must listen to the people. When we come for campaigns, we only talk and we don’t listen to the people. We have decided that leadership must be demand-driven,” he said.
Recalling his visits to Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Mangu and other troubled communities in Plateau State, the former Anambra State governor described the security situation as unacceptable.
He said his presidential ambition was driven by the need to address the suffering of Nigerians, particularly displaced persons, victims of insecurity and families who had lost loved ones to violence.
“If I have one person in an IDP camp, it means we are all in an IDP camp. I am competing because I want to know how we talk to that mother whose child was killed, that husband who lost a wife and that woman who lost a husband. Who is going to listen to their cries?” he asked.
Obi also expressed concern about rising poverty, infant mortality and the increasing number of out-of-school children.
He maintained that greater investments in education, healthcare and agriculture would help address some of the country’s challenges.
The NDC presidential candidate stressed that Nigerians should be able to go about their daily activities without fear, with children returning safely from school, farmers from their farms and traders from the markets.
Chronicle NG reports that the renewed US congressional scrutiny comes amid mounting international concerns over insecurity in Nigeria and growing political debate over the Federal Government’s capacity to protect lives and property ahead of the 2027 general elections.
