Sunday, August 23, 2026

Tinubu ‘sitting back, not doing enough’ to end killings of Nigerian Christians, moderate Muslims, others: U.S. Congressman

Mr Huizenga expressed dissatisfaction that the attacks have worsened.

• November 20, 2025
Tinubu picking his teeth and Bill Huizenga
Tinubu picking his teeth and Bill Huizenga

United States Congressman, Bill Huizenga, on Thursday, condemned the Bola Tinubu administration’s poor efforts at addressing rising insecurity in Nigeria.

Mr Huizenga disclosed this before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa, which is reviewing President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern on October 31, 2025, over alleged Christian genocide.

During the meeting, Mr Huizenga criticised Mr Tinubu’s delegation, led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, for coming to Washington to downplay the killings in Nigeria.

The U.S. Congressman said, “I went to school with kids from Nigeria. I’ve got neighbours who have been missionaries there, who have families there, who have friends there, who know this is going on, yet we’ve got, not just the mass media, but people within the Congress denying that this is happening or certainly de-emphasising it.

“It ought to be outrageous that it is Christians, moderate Muslims, anyone being terrorised by these radicalised Islamists in Nigeria, and we’ve got the Tinubu government sitting back and not doing enough. I do not understand why a delegation can come here to the United States, downplay and come up with excuses as to why this is allowed to happen. It should be rejected and called out for what it is.”

Recalling the killing of 200 people during Christmas Eve in 2023, Mr Huizenga expressed dissatisfaction that the attacks have worsened since then.

He said, “Two hundred were killed in a church. The question is, did things improve? The answer is No. Proportionally, do we see Christians killing Muslims in Christian areas of Nigeria, the way we’re seeing radicalised Islamists killing Christians in Muslim areas of Nigeria?”

The deliberation at the U.S. Congress came days after armed men attacked a Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, killing three worshippers and abducting several others, including the pastor.

Suspected bandits also kidnapped 25 school girls from Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State on Monday, killing the principal.

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