Tinubu govt to face two panels as US places Nigeria on trial over alleged Christian persecution

The US House of Representatives has mounted Thursday, November 12, 2026, for a listening to on the matter, which will probably be held at 11 am on the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., and it is going to be proven dwell on YouTube.

The listening to will probably be led by Chris Smith, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.

Smith’s workplace introduced the listening to on Monday. It was titled ‘One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt’.

The lawmakers will verify what Nigeria has completed within the final 12 months to guard Christians, safe the Middle Belt, and punish these behind non secular assaults, together with Boko Haram.

Two panels are anticipated to talk on the listening to.

The first panel may have 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 may have Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute, Ryan Brown, chief government officer of Open Doors US, and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

The lawmakers can even talk about what steps America can take to drive Nigerian authorities to stop violence towards Christians and non-radical Muslim communities.

The listening to is coming virtually precisely one 12 months after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.

Trump first put Nigeria on the listing in 2020. Former President Joe Biden eliminated the nation from the listing when he took workplace.

But on October 31, 2025, Trump put Nigeria again on the listing. He mentioned Christianity was dealing with an existential menace in Nigeria and accused radical Islamist teams of killing hundreds of Christians.

Trump additionally threatened to cease all US help to Nigeria. He warned of attainable navy motion if the Tinubu authorities did not cease the killings.

“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.

“I’m hereby instructing our Department of War to arrange for attainable motion. If we assault, it is going to be quick, vicious, and candy, similar to the terrorist thugs assault our cherished Christians,” Trump mentioned on November 1, 2025.

Nigeria and the United States have since entered right into a navy partnership concentrating on terrorist teams working within the northern area.