US Congress Schedules Hearing on Violence, Insecurity in Nigeria

The United States House of Representatives has scheduled a congressional hearing for Thursday to examine Nigeria’s efforts to protect vulnerable communities and tackle violence in the country's Middle Belt.

The hearing will be chaired by Republican Congressman Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.

Titled “One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt”, the session will examine attacks attributed to extremist groups, including Boko Haram, as well as the Nigerian government's response and efforts to bring perpetrators to justice.

According to a statement from Smith's office, the hearing will also consider measures the United States could take to encourage Nigerian authorities to prevent violence against Christians and non-radical Muslim communities.

The session is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, and will be streamed live on YouTube.

The first panel will feature Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.

The second panel will comprise Nina Shea, Senior Fellow and Director of the Centre for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute; Ryan Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Open Doors US; and Oge Onubogu, Director and Senior Fellow of the Africa Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

The hearing will be Smith's 14th congressional session focusing exclusively on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

The development follows the decision by US President Donald Trump in November 2025 to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged violations of religious freedom.

Nigeria has consistently rejected characterisations of the country's security crisis as primarily religious persecution, maintaining that violence is driven by several factors, including terrorism, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts and other criminal activities affecting communities across religious divides.

The planned hearing comes amid increased diplomatic and security engagement between both countries over Nigeria's ongoing security challenges.