Washington/Abuja — The administration of President Bola Tinubu is set to come under renewed scrutiny this week as the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa holds a hearing examining Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christian communities and secure the Middle Belt region.
The hearing, scheduled for Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 11 a.m. in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., is titled “One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt.” It will be chaired by Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and streamed live on YouTube.
Two panels of witnesses are expected to testify. The first panel comprises senior U.S. State Department officials: Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The second panel includes Nina Shea, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute; Ryan Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Open Doors US; and Oge Onubogu, Director and Senior Fellow of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Lawmakers plan to assess steps taken by Nigerian authorities over the past year to curb violence against Christians, improve security in the Middle Belt, and hold perpetrators of attacks—including those linked to Boko Haram and other extremist groups—accountable. Discussions are also expected to cover potential U.S. policy responses.
The hearing follows earlier actions by the Trump administration, including the redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) in late 2025 over allegations of severe religious freedom violations and claims of targeted violence against Christians. Previous congressional probes, fact-finding missions, and a report submitted to the White House in early 2026 had highlighted attacks by armed groups that have resulted in thousands of deaths, church destructions, and mass displacements, particularly in states such as Benue, Plateau, and Kaduna.
The Tinubu government has consistently rejected the characterisation of the violence as a “Christian genocide.” Officials maintain that insecurity in Nigeria is complex, driven by terrorism, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, and criminality, and that both Christians and Muslims have been victims. President Tinubu has previously described the genocide allegations as a misrepresentation of Nigeria’s religious reality, emphasising the country’s constitutional guarantees of religious liberty and ongoing security operations.
Nigeria and the United States have engaged in diplomatic and security cooperation in response to the concerns, including the establishment of a joint working group aimed at reducing violence against vulnerable communities. The upcoming hearing is expected to evaluate the effectiveness of those efforts and explore further measures.
The session underscores persistent international attention on Nigeria’s security challenges and the differing narratives surrounding the root causes of violence in the country’s Middle Belt and northern regions. Outcomes from the hearing could influence future U.S. policy, including aid, sanctions, or enhanced security collaboration.
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