Benue: Over 600,000 Christians now living in IDP camps — US Lawmaker Moore

United States Congressman, Riley Moore, has claimed that more than 600,000 Christians are currently living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps across Benue State following years of violent attacks on rural communities.

Moore made the disclosure after visiting several IDP facilities in the state, where he said he met “dozens of Christians who were driven from their homes and subjected to horrific violence and now live in IDP camps.”

According to the lawmaker, many of those he spoke with narrated brutal attacks that left entire households wiped out and survivors forced to flee their homes.

“They told harrowing stories that will remain with me for the rest of my life,” Moore wrote.

He cited the case of one woman who, he said, “was forced to watch as they killed her husband and five children. She and her unborn child barely escaped.”

Another woman, he added, told him her family “was murdered in front of her and her baby was ripped from her womb.”

Moore also relayed the testimony of a man who said “his family was hacked to death in front of his eyes and his arm was permanently mangled.”

The congressman described Benue as a region that has endured prolonged conflict between farming communities and armed groups, leading to mass displacement and humanitarian crisis.

“These Christians should be able to live in their ancestral homeland without fear of genocidal Fulani,” Moore wrote, calling for urgent international attention to the crisis.

During the visit, Moore said he met with Tiv traditional rulers and Catholic leaders in the state to discuss the worsening situation.

“It was an honour and deeply moving to meet with His Excellency Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop Isaac Dugu, and His Royal Highness James Ioruza, traditional ruler of the Tiv people, to discuss the ongoing genocidal campaign by the Fulani in Benue State,” he wrote.

Moore also described his trip as a “very productive visit to Nigeria,” revealing that on Monday he held talks with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and other top government officials.

He said the discussions focused on terrorism in the North-East and the ongoing killings in the Middle Belt, which he described as key priorities for both President Donald Trump and himself.

According to Moore, the talks also reviewed steps that could help improve security conditions if fully implemented.

He further referenced the recent rescue of over 100 abducted Catholic schoolchildren, commending the Nigerian government and President Bola Tinubu for the operation.

Moore said US concerns were “positively received” and pointed to what he described as a “now established joint task force between Nigeria and the US” as evidence of growing security cooperation.

However, he stressed that “now, that openness has to translate to concrete action,” adding that “there is much work still to be done.”

The National Security Adviser later confirmed hosting the US delegation as part of ongoing security consultations.

Ribadu said the visit followed previous meetings in Washington, DC, and focused on “counter-terrorism cooperation, regional stability,” and efforts to “strengthen the strategic security partnership between Nigeria and the United States.”

The visit occurred amid renewed diplomatic tension after the administration of President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations, alongside warnings of possible US military intervention.

The Federal Government, however, has repeatedly rejected claims of systematic persecution of Christians, insisting that insecurity affects citizens across all religious groups.

On November 20, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted Ribadu at the Pentagon to discuss coordinated strategies to tackle Nigeria’s security challenges. On the same day, the US House Subcommittee on Africa held a public hearing on the implications of Nigeria’s redesignation.

Last Tuesday, House Republicans again raised concerns about religious violence in Nigeria during a joint briefing ordered by President Trump, who on October 31 directed Moore and the House Appropriations Committee to investigate what he described as the killing of Christians and report their findings to the White House.