I visited villages attacked by Fulani militants and witnessed aftermath of pastors beheaded- Nelson

Committees of the United States Congress held a joint briefing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing kidnappings and reported persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

The session, according to The Punch, was convened following instructions from President Donald Trump on October 31, directing the House Appropriations Committee to investigate what he described as the killings of Christians in Nigeria and to submit a report of their findings to the White House.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian House of Representatives is set to debate the state of security in the country on Wednesday.

The congressional briefing was led by House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart and brought together members of both the House Appropriations and House Foreign Affairs Committees, along with experts on religious freedom.

Attendees included Representatives Robert Aderholt, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, and Chris Smith, as well as Vicky Hartzler, Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom; Sean Nelson of Alliance Defending Freedom International; and Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations.

According to The Punch, Sean Nelson outlined reports from Christian communities, describing instances of kidnappings, forced conversions, and lethal attacks. He noted that Christians have been unjustly imprisoned by Sharia courts, falsely accused of crimes for evangelism or for protecting converts, and in some cases kidnapped and subjected to torture.

He said, “I have visited villages directly attacked by Fulani militants and witnessed the aftermath of pastors beheaded, mass graves, widows and orphans.”

He also argued that authorities downplayed the role of religion in the attacks, and highlighted Nigeria’s blasphemy laws, which in some states permit the death penalty.

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