United States Congress will hold a hearing on Thursday to examine allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria, following President Donald Trump’s decision to re-designate the country as a “country of particular concern (CPC).”
Gatekeepers News reports that the session, which forms part of the US government’s ongoing review of religious freedom worldwide, will be chaired by Chris Smith, head of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa. Smith has been a leading voice on the issue and recently sponsored a resolution naming the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as groups allegedly involved in attacks.
The proposed resolution recommends visa bans and asset freezes for members of the affected organisations. It also urges the US government to classify “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau states as Entities of Particular Concern (EPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.
In a statement, Smith’s office said the hearing will focus on the “ongoing religious persecution of Christians by radical Islamists,” assess the impact of Trump’s CPC designation, and discuss how the State Department should respond to what it described as the “Nigerian government’s complicity in these crimes.”
Top US officials are expected to testify. The first panel will include Jonathan Pratt, senior bureau official for the Bureau of African Affairs, and Jacob McGee, deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour.
A second panel will feature Nina Shea, senior fellow and director at the Centre for Religious Freedom; Wilfred Anagbe, bishop of the Makurdi Diocese; and Oge Onubogu, director and senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
