A high-profile delegation of U.S. lawmakers and diplomatic officials arrived in Nigeria on Sunday for a fact-finding mission focused on the country’s deteriorating security situation. The visit comes at a time when members of the U.S. Congress are increasing pressure on the Biden administration to confront what they describe as escalating violence against Christian communities in northern and central Nigeria.

One of the visiting legislators, U.S. Representative Riley Moore, confirmed the trip in a message posted on X (formerly Twitter). He wrote that he had come “in the name of the Lord and on behalf of the American people,” describing the delegation’s meetings in Nigeria as productive and promising more details soon.

Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, also announced the visit on his official X account. Ribadu said he welcomed the Congressional team to Abuja, following earlier engagements between both countries in Washington, D.C., where joint security challenges were discussed. According to him, the visiting group included Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart, Norma Torres, Scott Franklin, Juan Ciscomani, and Riley Moore, alongside U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills. Their discussions covered counter-terrorism, regional stability, and efforts to strengthen the long-standing Nigeria–U.S. security relationship.

The timing of the visit is significant, as several American lawmakers have recently intensified their criticism of Nigeria’s handling of targeted violence in rural communities. Over recent months, members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have accused the Nigerian government of failing to confront what they call systematic attacks and mass killings of Christians by extremist groups and armed militias. One congressional report even warned that Nigeria was becoming “one of the most dangerous places on Earth to follow Christ.”

International human rights organizations—including Amnesty International, Intersociety, and Open Doors—have released similar findings, documenting widespread killings, abductions, and village raids that claim thousands of lives each year. Nigeria’s government, however, rejects the characterization of the violence as religiously motivated, arguing instead that the crisis stems from terrorism, criminality, and local conflicts over land and resources.

Nevertheless, the classification of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the Trump administration has intensified global attention. The presence of lawmakers from both major U.S. political parties highlights the growing bipartisan consensus in Washington that Nigeria’s security crisis requires urgent international engagement.

Rep. Riley Moore has been especially outspoken, calling for tougher oversight of U.S. military assistance to Nigeria and urging Washington to reconsider its security cooperation until meaningful progress is made in protecting vulnerable communities.