The United States House of Representatives is set to examine Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christian communities and address insecurity in the Middle Belt at a congressional hearing scheduled for Thursday, 12 November 2026.
The hearing, which will begin at 11 am at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC, will be chaired by Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa. It will also be streamed live on YouTube.
Smith’s office announced the hearing on Monday, describing it as an assessment of Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christians and secure the Middle Belt one year after President Donald Trump redesignated the country as a Country of Particular Concern.
Titled One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt, the hearing will examine religious violence involving extremist groups, including Boko Haram, as well as the Nigerian government’s response to attacks on vulnerable communities.
Lawmakers are expected to assess measures taken by the Federal Government to prevent religious violence, protect Christian communities and other vulnerable groups, and bring those responsible for attacks to justice.
The hearing will feature two panels of witnesses.
The first panel will comprise Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.
The second panel will feature Nina Shea of the Hudson Institute, Ryan Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Open Doors US, and Oge Onubogu of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
According to Smith’s office, lawmakers will also consider possible steps the United States could take to ensure Nigerian authorities address and prevent violence against Christians and non-radical Muslim communities.
The hearing comes nearly one year after Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern on 31 October 2025 over allegations of widespread attacks against Christians.
Nigeria was first designated under the category in 2020 during Trump’s first administration. The designation was not renewed under former President Joe Biden.
Following the October 2025 decision, Trump accused radical Islamist groups of killing thousands of Christians in Nigeria and described Christianity as facing an existential threat in the country.
He also threatened to suspend US aid to Nigeria and warned of possible military action if the Nigerian government failed to address the killings.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump said in a statement on 1 November 2025.
He added that he had directed the US Department of War to prepare for possible action.
The Nigerian government had previously rejected Trump’s allegations, maintaining that claims of widespread religious persecution did not accurately reflect the situation in the country.
Nigeria and the United States have since strengthened military cooperation, including collaboration targeting terrorist groups operating in the northern region.
The forthcoming hearing is expected to provide a platform for US lawmakers and witnesses to examine Nigeria’s security response and discuss further measures to address religious violence.
