H.Res. 866

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 866 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 866

Condemning the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and standing ready 
to support President Donald J. Trump in taking decisive action to end 
the existential threat that persecuted Christians face in Nigeria.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 7, 2025

Mr. Moore of West Virginia (for himself, Mr. Hunt, Mrs. Miller of 
Illinois, Mr. Clyde, Mr. Norman, Mr. Biggs of Arizona, Mr. Van Drew, 
Mr. Messmer, Mr. Alford, Mr. Stutzman, Mr. Moore of Alabama, Mr. Gill 
of Texas, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Mr. Aderholt, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Steube, 
Mr. McDowell, Mr. James, Mr. Bilirakis, Mrs. Luna, and Mr. Pfluger) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Condemning the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and standing ready 
to support President Donald J. Trump in taking decisive action to end 
the existential threat that persecuted Christians face in Nigeria.

Whereas Nigeria is experiencing the highest levels of violence against 
Christians in the world since Boko Haram's insurgency began in 2009;
Whereas Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani 
militants have systematically targeted Christian communities through 
massacres, church burnings, kidnappings, and sexual violence, leaving 
villages destroyed and millions displaced;
Whereas estimates indicate that between 50,000 and 100,000 Christians have been 
martyred for their faith since 2009, with more than 7,000 Christians 
killed in 2025, an average of 35 Christians murdered every day, and over 
19,000 churches attacked or destroyed;
Whereas, in Benue and Plateau states alone, more than 9,500 people, mostly 
Christians, were killed between May 2023 and May 2025 by Fulani 
militants, while more than half a million were displaced from their 
homes;
Whereas these attacks are not random or merely intercommunal, but deliberate 
campaigns of religious cleansing, as demonstrated by coordinated 
assaults during Christian holy days, such as the 2022 Pentecost 
Massacre, Christmas Eve 2023 massacre, and the Holy Week 2025 killings 
that claimed hundreds of Christian lives;
Whereas, despite assertions that such violence arises from general instability 
rather than specific targeting of Christians, when adjusted for 
population sizes in various states, Christians in Nigeria are being 
killed at a rate at least 5 times higher than that of Muslims;
Whereas countless pastors and priests have been kidnapped, tortured, or 
murdered, with over 250 clergy attacked or killed in the past decade, 
including the recent tragedy of Father Sylvester Okechukwu, who was 
kidnapped and murdered on Ash Wednesday in 2025;
Whereas the Nigerian Government has repeatedly failed to respond to early 
warnings of impending attacks, such as the October 14, 2025, massacre in 
Rachas village, Plateau state, where a pastor's warning of a Fulani 
offensive was dismissed by the Nigerian Army who publicly condemned the 
pastor for disseminating ``fake news'' and accused him of stoking 
division, and at least a dozen Christians were killed the next day;
Whereas Nigeria's Federal and state authorities routinely deny the existence of 
religious persecution, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stating in 
September 2025 that ``there's no religious persecution in Nigeria'', 
despite overwhelming documentation to the contrary;
Whereas, even after President Donald Trump announced his decision to designate 
Nigeria a ``Country of Particular Concern'' (CPC) on October 31, 2025, 
President Tinubu stated ``the characterisation of Nigeria as religiously 
intolerant does not reflect our national reality'', despite the reality 
that more Christians are being killed in Nigeria than the rest of the 
world combined;
Whereas Nigeria is 1 of only 7 countries in the world that retains a blasphemy 
law carrying the death penalty, enforced in 12 northern states under 
Sharia criminal law, and enforces other blasphemy laws as well, which 
have been used to imprison and threaten Christians, minority Muslims, 
and other dissenters;
Whereas Christian believers such as Rhoda Jatau and Deborah Yakubu have faced 
mob violence, imprisonment, and even murder for alleged blasphemy, while 
perpetrators of such crimes against blasphemy-accused individuals often 
go unpunished;
Whereas these blasphemy laws and mob killings have been condemned by the United 
Nations, the European Parliament, and the Economic Community of West 
African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice as grave violations of 
international human rights law and religious freedom norms;
Whereas, in 2020 and again in 2025, President Donald J. Trump designated Nigeria 
as a CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, 
unlocking tools for sanctions and other diplomatic measures against the 
Government of Nigeria in response to severe violations of religious 
freedom;
Whereas the Biden administration's 2021 decision to remove Nigeria from the CPC 
list has coincided with a marked escalation in violence and persecution 
against Christians;
Whereas the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 
has recommended Nigeria's redesignation as a Country of Particular 
Concern every year since 2009, citing ongoing, egregious, and systematic 
violations of religious freedom; and
Whereas continued silence from the global community only emboldens the radical 
Islamic terrorists, and the moral voice of the United States must be 
raised on behalf of persecuted Christians in Nigeria: Now, therefore, be 
it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the ongoing persecution and targeted killing 
of Christians in Nigeria by Boko Haram, the Islamic State West 
Africa Province, and Fulani militant groups, and the Nigerian 
Government's failure to act in defense of Christians;
(2) stands ready to support President Donald J. Trump in 
taking decisive action to end the existential threat that 
persecuted Christians face in Nigeria;
(3) calls upon the United States Government to use all 
available diplomatic, economic, and security tools to pressure 
the Nigerian Government to--
(A) end impunity for perpetrators of religiously 
motivated violence;
(B) protect Christian communities and clergy from 
further attacks;
(C) work to return internally-displaced persons to 
their homelands, particularly amongst Christian 
communities; and
(D) repeal blasphemy laws and release all prisoners 
detained for their faith;
(4) encourages coordination with international partners to 
deliver humanitarian aid directly to victims through trusted 
nongovernmental and faith-based organizations; and
(5) affirms the commitment of the United States to stand in 
solidarity with Christians and to defend their right to 
practice their faith without fear of persecution, violence, and 
even death.
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