Two American lawmakers, Riley Moore and Ted Cruz, have warned Nigeria not to test President Donald Trump’s resolve, urging the Federal Government to cooperate with the United States in ending the alleged killing of Christians in the country.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform on October 31, claimed that Christianity was facing an “existential threat” in Nigeria, blaming radical Islamists for widespread violence.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern,’” Trump wrote.
He directed Moore, along with House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, to investigate the matter and report back to him.
Trump doubled down on his position on November 1, threatening to deploy US military forces to Nigeria if the government failed to stop what he described as the genocide of Christians.
Moore, who has been outspoken on the issue, introduced a congressional resolution last Friday condemning the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria and expressing support for Trump’s efforts to address the crisis.
In a post accompanied by a video clip of his interview with Fox News on Saturday, Moore said Trump was determined to end the alleged killings.
“Do not test President Trump’s resolve — he is serious about ending the ongoing slaughter of Christians in Nigeria. I am asking the Nigerian government to do the right thing and partner with the United States to protect Christians and end the slaughter of our brothers and sisters in Christ,” he wrote.
Speaking during the interview, Moore said he and other members of the House Appropriations Committee were working with key stakeholders, including the US State Department, the White House, and the National Security Council, to develop a coordinated response to the violence.
“We have been working with the Appropriations Committee, which I’m a member of, and other relevant stakeholders within the House to come up with our findings. We did have a meeting this week with the State Department and have been in constant communication with the White House and the NSC on this issue,” he said.
When asked if Democrat lawmakers would support Trump’s action, Moore replied, “At this point, I have not had any indication that the Democrats will not support it. I certainly hope that they will join us in speaking with a unified voice to condemn the violence, where our brothers and sisters in Christ are being murdered every single day for the profession of their faith.”
Similarly, Cruz, who has also been vocal about the alleged genocide, said Nigerian politicians denying the mass killing of Christians were afraid of America’s political and economic power.
Cruz, who represents Texas in the US Senate, said this in a viral audio clip trending on Saturday, where he discussed his proposed bill seeking to compel the US State Department to take a firmer stance on religious persecution in Nigeria.
According to him, the legislation would ensure that Washington formally recognises Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and imposes sanctions on officials found complicit in atrocities against Christians.
“My bill does several things. One of the things that it would do is direct the State Department to do what President Trump just did, which is designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern,” he said.
Cruz explained that beyond the designation, the bill would also mandate punitive measures against individuals responsible for enabling or covering up religious violence.
“The bill also specifically directs the State Department to impose sanctions on local and provincial officials that are complicit in these atrocities. That has not yet been carried out. I’m hopeful the Trump administration will do so,” he added.
The senator maintained that the US had “enormous leverage” to compel changes in Nigeria through both diplomatic and economic pressure.
He said his campaign to draw attention to the killings had unsettled politicians across Nigeria’s political spectrum, many of whom were desperate to discredit his claims.
“There’s a reason that when I began calling out Nigeria for this mass murder of Christians, you had Nigerian politicians across the spectrum trying to argue against it. They are very, very afraid of the United States using our leverage to force them to change,” Cruz said.
The lawmaker added that Washington must not shy away from using its influence to demand accountability for what he described as “mass murder and systemic persecution.”
Credit: punchng.com
