A member of the Florida House of Representatives, Kimberly Daniels, has accused Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of attempting to bribe a United States official to influence narratives surrounding a controversial international report.
Daniels made the allegation in a video posted on her official Facebook page on Monday, claiming the move was aimed at countering findings by the United World Congress of Diplomats (UN-WCD), which reportedly accused Matawalle of involvement in issues linked to alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria.
According to the lawmaker, an unnamed American official was offered financial inducement to publicly challenge the report and defend Nigeria’s defence leadership.
“A US elected official was offered money by Nigeria’s minister of state for defence to change the narrative of the UN-WCD Christian genocide in Nigeria report,” Daniels said in the video, which has since gone viral.
Daniels, who also serves as chairperson of the UN-WCD, maintained that she would not be intimidated or silenced, insisting that her stance on what she described as targeted attacks on Christians in parts of Nigeria remains unchanged.
She further alleged that following her earlier statements on the issue, she faced pressure from individuals she linked to the minister, including attempts to discredit her position and influence opinion among US lawmakers.
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The Florida lawmaker claimed to have received evidence, including communications and prepared materials allegedly tied to the minister, intended to sway public discourse.
Daniels also suggested that the alleged bribery effort was designed to create division among American officials, but expressed confidence that such attempts would fail.
The accusations come amid ongoing calls from some quarters for President Bola Tinubu to remove Matawalle over security concerns in states such as Plateau, Benue, and Kaduna.
However, the minister has yet to respond publicly to the allegations.