United States lawmakers have renewed calls for Nigeria to make Sharia law unconstitutional in the 12 northern states where it has been enforced since 2000, citing what they described as worsening religious persecution and targeted violence against Christians and moderate Muslims.
The call was made during a joint briefing of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, convened to examine escalating religious violence in Nigeria and present recommendations to President Donald Trump’s administration.
Chairman of the National Security Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, said religious liberty remained a core American priority, stressing that no one should be subjected to fear or violence because of how they worship.
He said the United States would continue to advance policies aimed at protecting freedom of faith, noting that the issue had been prioritised in the Fiscal Year 2026 funding bill.
Rep. Robert Aderholt described the situation in Nigeria as a crisis that could no longer be ignored, adding that Christians and other vulnerable groups were being targeted solely for their beliefs.
He pledged continued US backing for persecuted Nigerian communities while supporting efforts to gather evidence to confront the killings diplomatically.
Rep. Riley Moore said Christians were being slaughtered simply for professing their faith, which had informed Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the Trump administration.
He said Congress was determined to ensure the world no longer ignored persecution in Nigeria.
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Brian Mast, rejected claims that the violence was merely inter-communal or resource-based, insisting it amounted to a systematic campaign of religious cleansing.
He accused extremist groups including Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province and Fulani militants of attempting to impose radical Islamist ideology across large swathes of the north, using blasphemy laws to suppress dissent.
Rep. Chris Smith warned that both Christians and moderate Muslims were living under constant threat of murder, rape and torture, alleging that perpetrators continued to operate with impunity.
He said the Nigerian government had failed in its constitutional duty to protect citizens and called for stronger international pressure to end official complacency.
Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Hon. Vicky Hartzler, painted a grim picture of recent attacks, citing the abduction of 303 pupils and 12 teachers from a Catholic school in Niger State and the kidnapping of worshippers from churches in Kwara State.
She also referenced attacks on mosques that killed and abducted Muslim worshippers, stressing that religious freedom violations affected all groups, even though Christians remained the predominant victims.
Hartzler urged greater US engagement with Nigerian authorities to improve accountability, bolster policing and introduce early warning systems to prevent attacks before they occurred.
Senior Counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom International, Sean Nelson, recounted cases of Christians imprisoned by Sharia courts, girls abducted and forced into marriages, and villagers killed or displaced following attacks by militant groups.
He said “Nigeria’s blasphemy laws, particularly in the 12 Sharia states where the death penalty could be imposed for alleged blasphemy, had fuelled mob violence and injustice against religious minorities.”
Council on Foreign Relations fellow, Dr Ebenezer Obadare, identified Boko Haram as the central threat to Nigeria’s stability, warning that efforts to resolve the crisis would fail unless the group was decisively defeated.
He disclosed that pressure following Nigeria’s “Country of Particular Concern” designation had prompted the Federal Government to order air strikes against Boko Haram targets, recruit additional police officers and declare a national security emergency.
Obadare called on Washington to intensify pressure on the Nigerian government to render Sharia law unconstitutional in the affected northern states and disband Hisbah groups enforcing Islamic codes on all citizens regardless of faith.
The House Appropriations Committee said it was finalising a comprehensive report to President Trump on policy measures to support Nigeria in combating religious persecution and restoring lasting peace.
