Rep. Moore says military action possible over Christian killings in Nigeria

Republican Rep. Riley Moore said the United States could take a range of actions in response to what he called the “genocide” of Christians in Nigeria, including sanctions and “even kinetic military action.”

Trump named Moore, R-Okla., a member of the West Virginia Appropriations Committee. He appointed the president to lead the investigation along with Tom Cole. killing of Christians by Islamist militants in the African country.

Frustrations over the issue emerged this week when Trump identified Nigeria as a country of particular concern and ordered the Pentagon to prepare for military intervention.

In a video posted on Truth Social this week, Trump threatened to “do things to Nigeria that Nigeria would not be happy with” and to “go into this country that is now discredited with guns blazing.”

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Moore told Fox News Digital that the appointment unlocks “15 different levers” the administration can use against Nigeria, including halting arms sales, freezing aid and imposing sanctions on officials or institutions accused of turning a blind eye or enabling religious killings.

“All options are on the table for this, including kinetic military action,” Moore said. “This could mean targeted, strategic counterterrorism strikes to get rid of some of the senior leaders, if that’s necessary to stop the killing.”

“We’ve been providing security assistance to this country since at least 2009; the billions of dollars worth of arms sales, training and equipment they’ve received. And it’s a matter of prioritization of what’s important to them. And frankly, that hasn’t been one of the most important things.”

West Virginia Republican He said he was working with the House Appropriations Committee and the State Department to identify what he called “legislative tools” that could support the administration’s response. Moore said he also consulted NGOs and Christian organizations “on the ground” in Nigeria to document the extent of the violence.

CRUZ CLAPS WITH NIGERIA DUE TO HIS CLAIMS 50,000 CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED DUE TO RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE SINCE 2009

Solomon Maina, father of Debora, one of the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from their dormitory by Boko Haram Islamist militants in 2014, reacts while speaking in an interview at his home in Chibok, Nigeria, on April 7, 2024. (Temilade Adelaja/Reuters)

He described the attacks as a “genocide,” claiming Christians are being killed at a rate of five to one compared with non-Christians. Moore accused the Nigerian government of “looking the other way” despite receiving billions of dollars in security aid from the United States since 2009.

“They don’t take this seriously,” he said. “We had a pastor warn the government of an impending attack; they called it fake news. Within 24 hours, that pastor and 20 members of his congregation were killed.”

The Nigerian government denies that genocide occurred. The presidential office wrote on

Moore said he and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) plan to meet with Nigerian officials in Washington this month as part of the investigation and may even send delegations to the country. He added that the United States could continue to work with the Nigerian government if it shows a willingness to combat extremist groups.

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“It’s not all sticks here; there’s some carrots in there,” Moore said. “If they’re willing to work with us, it could actually lead to a stronger relationship between our countries.”

The Nigerian government has denied the killings amounted to religious persecution, arguing that extremist and criminal groups were targeting civilians of all faiths.

With a population of over 230 million, Nigeria’s vibrant and often turbulent cities and villages are home to people from strikingly different backgrounds. The country’s mix of more than 500 languages, as well as Islam, Christianity and traditional indigenous beliefs, has long been marred by tensions.

I AM A NIGERIAN CHRISTIAN. DO NOT IGNORE THE HORRIBLE ATTACKS ON AFRICAN CHRISTIANS

Nigeria’s faith communities remain sharply divided; While Muslims predominate in the northern regions, Christians are concentrated in the south.

Christianity became firmly established in the 19th century, when freed slaves educated in Sierra Leone returned home as teachers and missionaries, establishing schools, churches, and early congregations and continuing to shape the identity of Southern Nigeria today.

Despite its immense oil and mineral wealth, decades of corruption and mismanagement have impoverished much of the country.

As Washington seeks to counter China’s dominance of Africa’s critical mineral market, Nigeria’s growing reserves of lithium, cobalt, nickel and other rare minerals have attracted U.S. attention. The Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation have eyed investment opportunities in Nigeria’s nascent lithium industry, but persistent insecurity in mining regions threatens Western reach and future development.

Christians who have fled the northern half of Nigeria for more than a decade Boko Haram violenceAn Islamist militant group known for its terrorist demonstrations. During the group’s night raids, churches and houses were burned and communities disappeared.

Numbers are difficult to verify, but the International Association for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law reports that between 2009 and 2023, at least 52,000 Christians have been killed, nearly 18,500 have been kidnapped with little chance of survival, and 20,000 churches and Christian schools have been attacked.

It is known that Boko Haram kidnapped and enslaved 276 young girls during a raid on a high school dormitory in 2014. The group regularly arms children as suicide bombers and establishes slave markets in captured areas.

Injured victims of a suicide bomb attack receive treatment at a hospital in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Joshua Omiri)

But a direct US military strike would be difficult and unlikely with existing US assets in the country, a defense official told Fox News Digital.

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The United States does not currently have a permanent military base in Nigeria, but small teams of U.S. advisors and special operations instructors periodically work with Nigerian forces under AFRICOM programs.

Washington has approved nearly $600 million in security assistance to Nigeria over the past decade, mostly focused on counterterrorism in the northeast.