- US Representative Riley Moore has formally requested the Donald Trump administration to take “forceful action” following a violent assault on a mass burial in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State.
- Moore highlighted the contrast between Nigeria’s swift 2025 military intervention in the Benin Republic and its failure to prevent the “martyrdom” of its own citizens in the Middle Belt.
- The lawmaker and international advocacy groups are pushing for the US to apply “maximum pressure” on Nigerian officials, labeling the recurring violence as a targeted religious genocide.
United States Representative Riley Moore has intensified pressure on the Trump administration to intervene in the escalating security crisis in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Eko Hot Blog reports that reacting to reports of a Wednesday massacre in the Fan District of Barkin Ladi, Moore condemned the Nigerian government’s inability to stop gunmen from opening fire on mourners during a mass burial.
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Eyewitness accounts described a terrifying scene where villagers were forced to flee for their lives while attempting to inter seven victims of a previous assault, leaving behind partially dug graves.
Moore’s critique centered on the Nigerian government’s external military capabilities versus its domestic security failures.
He noted that while the Nigerian military successfully quelled an attempted coup in Benin in December 2025, it remains “nowhere to be found” when Christian citizens are attacked despite early warnings.
“Enough is enough,” Moore stated, urging that the protection of these communities be made a priority within the US counterterrorism strategy for West Africa.
The call for “forceful action” has been echoed by groups like Alliance Defending Freedom International, which argues that the Nigerian government’s reluctance to act effectively warrants significant diplomatic pressure from Washington.
While the Nigerian Federal Government continues to attribute such violence to general criminality and communal land disputes, US conservative lawmakers are increasingly framing the conflict in religious terms, demanding that the Trump administration take a more active role in defending “innocent brothers and sisters in Christ.”
