The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, as Abuja intensifies diplomatic efforts to engage Washington over allegations of Christian persecution in the country.
Mr Hegseth confirmed the meeting on X, saying he met with the NSA and his team to discuss what he described as the “horrific violence against Christians” in Nigeria.
“Under @POTUS leadership, the Department of War is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists,” he wrote.
None of the attendees has provided details of the discussions at the meeting.
The Nigerian delegation is in Washington for discussions on the allegations, persistent terrorist threats, and prospects for deeper US–Nigeria cooperation to “end the bloodshed.”
The delegation included Mr Ribadu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu; Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lt. Gen. E.A.P. Undiendeye; Special Adviser to the NSA, Idayat Hassan; Director of Foreign Relations, ONSA, Ibrahim Babani; Acting Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Nigeria, Nuru Biu; and the head of the Political and Economic Section, Embassy of Nigeria, Paul Alabi.
PREMIUM TIMES reports that earlier in the week, the delegation met with one of the leading voices behind the “Christian genocide” campaign, US Congressman Riley Moore.
The lawmaker said he had “a frank, honest, and productive discussion” with the delegation, noting that Nigerian officials outlined concerns over counterterrorism operations, security assistance, protection of vulnerable communities, and ongoing violence in different parts of the country.
Since September, several campaigners and US politicians have promoted claims that Islamist militants in Nigeria are systematically targeting Christians. The narrative has been amplified by Mike Arnold through his “fact-finding report,” comedian Bill Maher, CNN’s Van Jones, Representative Moore, Senator Ted Cruz, and some Christian leaders.
Mr Cruz introduced a bill in September — the “Nigeria’s Religious Freedom Accountability 2025 Act” — seeking to hold Nigerian officials accountable for enabling jihadist violence or enforcing blasphemy laws. Mr Moore has insisted that Christians are being “persecuted and killed for professing their faith,” and on 5 October wrote to the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urging action.
On 15 October, a petition endorsed by 30 Christian leaders was submitted to the House of Representatives, pushing for Nigeria to be designated a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged religious persecution.
Reiterating this stance on Wednesday, Mr Moore said he stressed the need for “tangible steps” to protect Christians in Nigeria from violence, displacement, and death.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that US lawmakers on Thursday held a sharply divided hearing on President Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a CPC.
Lawmakers split along partisan and ideological lines, with some framing the crisis as “Christian genocide” and others warning against dangerously oversimplifying Nigeria’s complex violence.
Background
Security analysts and researchers say the claim of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria is false and misleading. They argue that it reflects a deep misreading of Nigeria’s security realities and exposes the undercurrents of a clearly mischievous agenda.
Credible media reports, including one by the BBC, have found that much of the data used to support the genocide claims cannot be independently verified.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected the allegations, describing them as “a gross misrepresentation of reality.” Officials argue that terrorists “attack all who reject their murderous ideology — Muslims, Christians, and those of no faith alike.”
President Trump earlier warned: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing…”
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Nigeria is one of 13 countries globally classified as CPC. It was first placed on the list during Mr Trump’s first term in 2020 before being removed by Joe Biden in 2021.
In an editorial on 27 October, PREMIUM TIMES described the genocide narrative as “false and misleading,” noting the absence of any central mastermind while acknowledging ongoing killings affecting both Christians and Muslims, largely carried out by non-state armed groups.
President Bola Tinubu said Nigeria would continue to engage partners diplomatically and welcome US support to defeat terrorism.