The administration of President Bola Tinubu is expected to face fresh scrutiny in the United States as American lawmakers prepare to investigate Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christians and address insecurity in the Middle Belt.
The United States House of Representatives has scheduled a hearing for November 12, 2026, to examine allegations of widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria and assess the Federal Government’s response to attacks across the country.
The hearing will take place at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, and will be streamed live on YouTube for Nigerians and other interested viewers around the world.
The session will be chaired by Congressman Chris Smith, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa. His office announced the planned hearing on Monday.
The meeting, titled One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt, will examine developments in Nigeria since the country was returned to America’s list of Countries of Particular Concern over religious freedom concerns.
Members of Congress are expected to assess the progress made by the Tinubu administration in protecting Christian communities, restoring security in the Middle Belt and ensuring that those responsible for religiously motivated attacks are brought to justice.
The lawmakers will also examine the activities of armed groups, including Boko Haram and suspected Fulani militants, accused of carrying out attacks on communities and places of worship.
Several government officials and representatives of international organisations are expected to appear before the committee in two separate sessions.
The first session will feature Frank Garcia, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Riley Barnes, the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.
The second group of witnesses will include Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute, Ryan Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Open Doors US, and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Their contributions are expected to provide lawmakers with different perspectives on the security situation in Nigeria, religious freedom and the measures needed to protect vulnerable communities.
The hearing will also give members of Congress an opportunity to consider possible actions the United States could take to pressure the Nigerian government into addressing attacks against Christians and moderate Muslim communities.
The development comes about one year after US President Donald Trump returned Nigeria to the list of Countries of Particular Concern on October 31, 2025.
Trump had first placed Nigeria on the list in 2020 during his first administration. However, the country was removed from the classification under former President Joe Biden.
Upon returning to office, Trump restored Nigeria’s designation, citing concerns over the alleged persecution and killing of Christians by radical Islamist groups.
The American president maintained that religious violence in Nigeria had reached an alarming level and accused armed groups of carrying out deadly attacks against Christian communities.
Following the decision, Trump threatened to withdraw American financial assistance to Nigeria if the government failed to address the killings.
He also raised the possibility of military intervention against extremist groups operating in the country.
The threat attracted attention in Nigeria, particularly as the Tinubu administration continued to face pressure over insecurity, kidnappings, terrorism and attacks on rural communities.
Another American lawmaker, Congressman Riley Moore, has also continued to demand stronger action over the situation.
Marking one year since Nigeria’s return to the Countries of Particular Concern list, Moore maintained that Christians in the country were still experiencing severe violence.