Washington has raised alarms over Nigeria’s slow response to violence against Christian populations, despite diplomatic efforts between the two nations. Frank Garcia, the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, noted that while Nigeria had initiated measures to combat the attacks, their execution remained too slow and inconsistent—especially in safeguarding at-risk groups across the Middle Belt. His assessment came during a congressional hearing on Nigeria’s security challenges, where lawmakers scrutinized the government’s handling of assaults, troop deployments, and its continued designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
Garcia made the remarks on Thursday during a congressional hearing on violence in Nigeria, where US Congressman Riley Moore questioned the Nigerian government’s response to attacks, the deployment of security personnel and the continued designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
US Concerns Over Nigeria’s Security Measures
Moore insisted that Nigeria should remain on the CPC list, arguing that the Federal Government had not demonstrated sufficient commitment or achieved the necessary results in addressing attacks on Christian communities. “Before you answer that, we cannot take this CPC designation off of this country. They have not done enough,” Moore declared.
Military Operations and Aid
The congressman specifically questioned what military and security operations Nigeria had undertaken to dismantle militia strongholds and kidnapping camps in the Middle Belt, particularly in Benue and Plateau states. He recalled that the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, had raised concerns in August about the slow pace of Nigeria’s response to the security situation.
Garcia agreed that Nigeria had not achieved sufficient progress but cautioned against interpreting the lack of results as evidence that the Nigerian government was completely ignoring the security concerns. “I think we would agree, as Under Secretary Hooker stated, after our CPC meeting that progress has not been there, but that doesn’t mean that Nigeria is dismissing concerns, and it doesn’t mean that they’re not taking actions, but it does mean that it hasn’t had an impact to this point,” Garcia stated.
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Nigeria’s Security Capacity and US Cooperation
According to Garcia, Nigeria was still developing the capacity required to tackle the security challenges, but the deployment of that capacity remained inadequate. The US official identified the establishment of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group as an important step towards strengthening accountability and ensuring that commitments made by the Nigerian government were translated into measurable results.
The US-Nigeria Joint Working Group held its first meeting in Abuja in January and subsequently convened another meeting in Washington in August. During the engagements, the United States pressed Nigeria to increase security deployments in vulnerable Middle Belt communities, improve responses to early warnings and ensure accountability for perpetrators of attacks.
The United States had also provided training and equipment to Nigerian police units responsible for protecting vulnerable communities, according to Garcia. The assistance was delivered through the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Additionally, Washington had expanded biometric information-sharing arrangements with Nigeria to support efforts to identify and prosecute individuals responsible for attacks.
Limited Security Capacity
As the US continues to engage with Nigeria on the issue, Garcia noted that the country’s security architecture remained overstretched, limiting its ability to respond effectively to threats across different regions. The US official maintained that the combination of limited security capacity, delayed deployments and difficulties accessing justice had contributed to the lack of measurable progress.
Despite the challenges, Garcia said Washington would continue to employ diplomatic engagements, the CPC designation and targeted security cooperation to press the Nigerian government to protect vulnerable Christian communities and ensure that those responsible for violence were held accountable. The CPC designation is a tool used by the US to pressure countries to improve their human rights records.
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The US had worked with Nigerian financial institutions to develop an action plan aimed at disrupting terrorist financing networks suspected of funding attacks on churches, Garcia disclosed. Identifying and restricting financial support for violent groups formed part of the broader strategy to address the security situation, he explained.
Financial Action Plan
With the CPC designation set to remain in place, Nigeria faces continued pressure from the US to improve its security response and protect vulnerable communities. As Garcia noted, the US would continue to monitor Nigeria’s implementation of its commitments to address the violence, and the CPC designation would remain a key tool in this effort, with 1,000 forest guards approved by the President for Plateau State yet to be deployed.
The Assistant Secretary further disclosed that Hooker had raised additional concerns during the second meeting of the Joint Working Group in Washington. According to him, the discussions addressed civilian casualties, the safe and voluntary return of internally displaced persons and the need for greater transparency in the expenditure and delivery of humanitarian assistance. He said the United States had urged Nigeria to ensure that displaced persons could return safely to their communities while maintaining accountability in the management of humanitarian resources.
The hearing highlighted continued differences between US concerns about the protection of Christian communities and the Nigerian government’s explanation of the country’s wider security challenges. The Federal Government has consistently rejected allegations of a “Christian genocide” or systematic religious persecution. Instead, Nigerian authorities have maintained that the violence across the country is driven by broader security problems, including terrorism, banditry and conflicts over resources. The government has also argued that the insecurity affects Nigerians of different religious backgrounds rather than Christians alone.
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