The United States House of Representatives has scheduled a congressional hearing for Thursday, November 12, 2026, to examine the Nigerian government’s efforts to protect Christians, address religious violence and tackle insecurity in the country’s Middle Belt.
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The hearing, titled “One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt,” will be chaired by Republican lawmaker Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.
According to a statement published on Smith’s official website on Monday, November 9, the session will focus on attacks against religious communities, the Nigerian government’s response to insecurity and measures required to protect vulnerable populations.
The congressional hearing will also examine the activities of extremist groups, including Boko Haram, and assess the steps taken by Nigerian authorities to investigate and prosecute individuals responsible for attacks on civilians.
Smith’s office explained that the session would assess “the current state of religious violence perpetrated by radical Islamists, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists, against Christians in Nigeria”.
The statement added that lawmakers would examine “the Nigerian government’s efforts to curb the persecution and punish those responsible for committing atrocities against Christian and non-radical Muslim communities”.
It further stated that the hearing would consider “the steps the United States can take to ensure that Nigerian officials are addressing and preventing the systemic violence against Christians and non-radical Muslims by Islamist extremists.”
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. local time at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., and will be streamed live on YouTube.
The proceedings will feature two panels comprising senior United States government officials, religious freedom advocates and African affairs experts.
The first panel will include Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.
Both officials are expected to participate in discussions concerning the security situation in Nigeria, religious freedom and the United States government’s engagement with Nigerian authorities.
The second panel will feature 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 participants will provide perspectives on religious violence, insecurity and the challenges facing vulnerable communities in Nigeria.
According to Smith’s office, the forthcoming session will be his 14th congressional hearing examining the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The hearing comes amid continued scrutiny of Nigeria’s security situation by American lawmakers and the administration of President Donald Trump, particularly over allegations of religious persecution and attacks on Christian communities.
In November 2025, Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over alleged severe violations of religious freedom.
The decision followed accusations that the Nigerian government had failed to provide adequate protection for Christians facing attacks in different parts of the country.
Nigeria was first designated a Country of Particular Concern in December 2020 during Trump’s first administration.
However, the administration of former President Joe Biden removed Nigeria from the list in November 2021, stating that the country no longer met the criteria for the designation.
The designation is made under the United States International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and applies to countries considered by the American government to have engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
The Nigerian government has consistently rejected the characterisation of the country’s security challenges as primarily religious persecution.
It has maintained that insecurity in Nigeria is complex and driven by several factors, including terrorism, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts and other forms of criminal violence affecting both Christian and Muslim communities.
The government’s position is that attacks on civilians should be understood within the broader security challenges confronting the country rather than attributed exclusively to religious persecution.
The renewed congressional attention also follows counterterrorism cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
On December 25, 2025, the United States military carried out strikes against Islamic State targets in northwestern Nigeria as part of a cooperative counterterrorism initiative involving both countries.
Trump said the operation targeted militants responsible for attacks against Christians.
The operation formed part of efforts to confront extremist groups operating in Nigeria amid broader concerns about terrorism and insecurity.
Studies examining the country’s violence have identified multiple contributing factors, including Islamist insurgency, farmer-herder conflicts, banditry and other criminal activities.
These factors have contributed to recurring attacks, displacement and insecurity across different communities.
The November 12 congressional hearing will therefore provide an opportunity for American lawmakers to examine Nigeria’s security response, assess allegations of religious persecution and consider potential measures the United States could adopt to encourage greater protection of vulnerable communities.
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