Committees of the United States Congress on Tuesday in Washington DC held a joint briefing over the ongoing kidnappings and the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The session was held at the instance of President Donald Trump, who earlier on October 31 instructed the House Appropriations Committee to investigate what he described as the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria and report their findings to the White House.
Separately, the Nigerian House of Representatives will also debate the state of security in the country on Wednesday (today).
The Congress session, led by House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart, brought together members of the House Appropriations and House Foreign Affairs Committees alongside religious freedom experts.
Participants included Reps Robert Aderholt, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Chris Smith, US Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler, Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson, and Dr Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Díaz-Balart began the briefing by describing global religious freedom as “both a moral obligation and an essential American interest.” He emphasised that “no one should have to fear for their safety because of how they choose to worship.”
He said he is “committed to advancing policies that protect the freedom to live according to one’s faith without fear of violence and retribution.”
