A United States congressman, Riley Moore, has warned that continued attacks on Christians in Nigeria could strain diplomatic relations between both countries. His comments followed reports of a deadly Palm Sunday attack in Jos, Plateau State.
In a post shared on X on Monday, Moore condemned the reported killing of at least 10 Christians in Anguwan Rukuba, describing the incident as part of a disturbing pattern of violence targeting worshippers during religious celebrations.
The lawmaker, who was part of a US fact-finding delegation on alleged religious persecution in Nigeria, said such attacks have increasingly occurred during Christian holy days. He called on Nigerian authorities to take urgent and decisive action to prevent further loss of lives.
“This Palm Sunday, reports from Nigeria indicate that at least 10 Christians were martyred in the city of Jos. Radical Islamic terrorists opened fire on the Christians before hacking them to pieces with machetes. This is sickening and unacceptable, but it’s not surprising,” he said.
Moore further claimed that similar attacks have taken place during major Christian observances in recent times, urging the Federal Government under Bola Ahmed Tinubu to strengthen security ahead of upcoming events like Easter.
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“Abuja knows this pattern and must massively ramp up security for the Triduum and Easter. If they fail to take this threat seriously, there will be consequences for Nigeria’s relationship with the United States,” he warned.
Reiterating his concerns, Moore described the violence as unacceptable and called for immediate action to protect vulnerable communities.
The attack in Jos has sparked fresh concerns over insecurity in parts of the country, with reports indicating that gunmen on motorcycles carried out the assault, leaving several people dead.
