US Congress holds hearing on persecution of Christians in Nigeria
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard
The US House of Representatives is holding a hearing on Thursday 12 November on the Nigerian government’s efforts to protect Christians and tackle insecurity in the Middle Belt. According to the office of Republican Chris Smith, the hearing will bring together State Department officials and experts, in Washington.
The US House of Representatives is holding a hearing on Thursday 12 November on Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christians and tackle insecurity in the Middle Belt, the central region of the country. It will be chaired by Republican Chris Smith, according to a statement from his office published on Monday. The hearing, titled "One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt", will take place at 11 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington and will be broadcast live on YouTube.
The first panel will bring together Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, and Riley Barnes, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. The second will feature Nina Shea, of the Hudson Institute, Ryan Brown, chief executive of Open Doors US, an NGO supporting persecuted Christians, and Oge Onubogu, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It will be Chris Smith’s 14th hearing devoted exclusively to Nigeria. He had already chaired a hearing in November 2025 after Donald Trump designated Nigeria a "country of particular concern".
