A United States congressional team led by Congressman Riley Moore has wrapped up a fact-finding visit to Nigeria aimed at assessing claims of genocide, with plans to brief President Donald Trump before the end of the month.
As reported by The Punch, the five-member delegation arrived on Sunday and spent several days meeting Internally Displaced Persons, survivors of violent attacks, Christian groups, clergy, and traditional rulers—focusing heavily on Benue State, where many of the victims reside.
The lawmakers also held discussions with top Nigerian officials, including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), as part of their review of the security situation.
Speaking on Thursday during an interview with Fox News host Harris Faulkner, Moore said the group listened to deeply distressing testimonies of killings allegedly carried out by Fulani and Islamist militants. He described the accounts as some of the most shocking and unsettling he had encountered in his public service career.
He said, “It was really shocking; the stories we heard, the imagery. I’ve never witnessed anything like that in my life. I met one woman who lost her entire family.
“Five of her children were killed right in front of her, while she was pregnant. She escaped, and delivered her baby in an IDP camp.
“You can see that her soul has literally left her body. There are countless stories like these.”
He recounted yet another account involving a woman whose husband, two daughters, and unborn child were all killed in a single assault, arguing that such incidents reinforced the impression that Christian populations were being intentionally singled out.
Moore explained that, because of the high security threats, the delegation had to move through Benue State in armoured convoys. Throughout the trip, they met with Catholic and Protestant clerics, bishops, and traditional community leaders to gather firsthand information, which he described as essential for understanding the situation on the ground.
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