A member of the United States Congress, Riley Moore, has levelled fresh claims against former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, accusing him of playing a role in the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Moore’s statement did not come out of nowhere.
In recent weeks, several U.S. conservative groups and Christian lobbyists have mounted pressure on lawmakers and the White House, insisting that Nigeria should face sanctions over alleged persecution of believers.
Their campaign intensified after a series of reports circulated online claiming that Christian communities in northern Nigeria were under siege.
As the debate heated up in Washington, Moore became one of the loudest voices pushing for a tougher response, setting the stage for his remarks against Kwankwaso.
His comments followed Kwankwaso’s reaction to reports that the U.S. may carry out military operations in Nigeria.
On social media, Moore directly challenged him, posting: “Governor, do you care to comment on your own complicity in the death of Christians? You instituted Sharia law. You signed the law that makes so-called blasphemy punishable by death.”
Kwankwaso was in charge of Kano State when Sharia law came into effect in November 2000.
He had earlier reacted to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest position on insecurity in Nigeria.
In his response, Kwankwaso warned Washington against taking any unilateral stance, stressing that Nigeria is a sovereign country facing complex security challenges that affect everyone.
“The insecurity we face does not distinguish based on religious, ethnic, or political beliefs,” he said, urging the U.S. to provide support in areas like technology and diplomacy instead of threatening force.
He also pushed for Nigeria to deploy special envoys and ambassadors to engage the U.S. government and avoid internal division.
Moore, on the other hand, has vowed to continue pressing for action on what he called a “genocide against Christians” in the country.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, he revealed that Trump will soon receive a list of proposals on how the U.S. should respond.
“We are going to get right to work and give President Trump a full menu of options to stop these killings,” he said.
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Trump had already raised the prospect of military intervention, pointing to what he described as rising attacks against Christians in Nigeria.
On Truth Social, he declared that the country had been redesignated as a “Country of Particular Concern” and blamed “radical Islamists” for the deaths.
“Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote, saying the U.S. could “go in guns blazing” if Nigeria fails to respond.
The Nigerian government has rejected the claims of genocide and insisted that it is protecting citizens of all faiths.
President Bola Tinubu restated that Nigeria’s constitution guarantees freedom of worship and said his administration continues to work with religious leaders to strengthen unity.
“The portrayal of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” Tinubu said, stressing that the government remains committed to peace and coexistence across the federation.