U.S. lawmaker insists Trump designate Nigeria as Country of Particular Concern as bandits kill pastor, kidnap 20 worshippers
U.S. lawmaker Reiley Moore has doubled down on the campaign for President Donald Trump to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, citing reports of the killing of a pastor and the abduction of other church members in Kaduna.
Mr Moore described the killing of Yahaya Kambasya, the pastor of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN), popularly known as HEKAN, and the abduction of his church members as “horrific” in a post on X.
“Horrific news out of northern Nigeria. A pastor was shot and killed, and 20 Christians were abducted. This is the second attack on this same Christian community just this month,” Mr Moore said.
He added, “Enough is enough. It’s time to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, @SecRubio.”
Amos Kiri, national president of HEKAN, in a statement on Thursday, confirmed the killing of the pastor and the abduction of church members in Farin Dutse, Kauru LGA of Kaduna State, on October 28, 2025.
“The attack resulted in the death of Rev. Yahaya Kambasya and the kidnapping of over 20 people; among them are HEKAN members,” Mr Kiri said. “The bandits invaded the community and started shooting sporadically at locals and whisked away those captured.”
Mr Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives, had, in a letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in October, urged authorities to designate “Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).”
The U.S. lawmaker cited “reports that corrupt cells of the Nigerian government may be complicit, and even directly involved, in some of these attacks.”
Amid a campaign against Christian genocide in Nigeria, Ted Cruz, a Republican U.S senator, proposed a “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act” that would target government officials facilitating the murder of Christians and the implementation of “blasphemy laws” with sanctions.
While President Bola Tinubu’s government has repeatedly denied Christians’ genocide in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria affirmed Mr Cruz’s position, urging the international community to intervene.
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