Washington has accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christian communities from ongoing violence. The assessment was delivered on Thursday by Frank Garcia, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, during a congressional hearing examining the security crisis in Nigeria’s conflict-affected Middle Belt.
Garcia acknowledged that Nigerian authorities were taking steps to address US concerns. He told lawmakers that the measures had not yet produced meaningful results.
Progress has not been there, Garcia told lawmakers. He added that Nigeria’s security capacity was still being developed and was not being deployed effectively or quickly enough.
The hearing followed Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern by US President Donald Trump last October. That designation was applied over allegations of religious persecution and violence against Christian communities.
Republican Representative Riley Moore questioned the Nigerian government’s efforts to dismantle armed groups’ strongholds and kidnapping camps. His questions focused particularly on security operations in Benue and Plateau states.
Moore challenged the exclusion of Benue and Plateau from Nigeria’s new forest guard initiative, despite persistent attacks in the region. He also raised concerns that 1,000 presidentially approved security guards for Plateau had not yet been deployed.
Moore argued that Washington should retain Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern designation until the government demonstrated real progress in addressing the violence.
Garcia cited several specific incidents as evidence that the violence had continued despite diplomatic engagement. These included attacks on Christian communities in Kaduna State in July, alongside killings in Plateau State in August and September.
To monitor the situation, Garcia said Washington established a US-Nigeria Joint Working Group. The body monitors Abuja’s commitments, including increased security deployments in vulnerable communities, faster responses to early warnings, stronger accountability mechanisms and expanded military cooperation.
The US has provided training and equipment to Nigerian police units responsible for protecting vulnerable communities. American authorities have also expanded biometric information-sharing to help identify suspects and worked with Nigerian financial institutions on measures to disrupt terrorist financing networks.
Garcia said American authorities expected Nigeria to demonstrate measurable improvements, focusing particularly on protecting civilians, prosecuting perpetrators and ensuring the safe and voluntary return of internally displaced people.
He also acknowledged that Nigeria’s security architecture remained overstretched. Judicial access to parts of the Middle Belt was limited, he noted.
