The United States Congress is due to hear allegations of persecution of Christians in Nigeria on Thursday, November 20. This follows President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
Franc Utoo, Esq, a native of Yelewata, one of the worst-attacked areas by Fulani terrorists in Benue State, who has taken the call for justice to the US, said the scheduled hearing marks a turning point in a long fight for justice.
“For years, our voices have cried out against the silent genocide of Christians in Nigeria—cries that rose from the ashes of devastated communities like my own village of Yelewata and many of such communities across Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Nasarawa, Taraba, Borno, etc, from the heartbreak endured under Fulani terrorist attacks, and from the courage of leaders such as Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi, Ezekiel Dachomo and many other people within Nigeria and the US.
“Our struggle was often met with denial, with broken promises and indifference, yet we stayed resolute. Through tireless advocacy and by forging strong partnerships, we brought our cause to the very heart of power in Washington, DC,” he wrote on his verified Meta account.
Mr Utoo, who shared a photograph, standing with US Congressman Chris Smith, Chairman of the U.S. Congressional Subcommittee on Africa, indicated that Most Revd. Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, will give testimony during the hearing.
Smith, one of the several US lawmakers pushing the allegations, had introduced a resolution naming the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as erring entities.
The resolution also asked that the US place “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau states on the Entities of Particular Concern (EPC) list under the International Religious Freedom Act.
Smith’s office said the Thursday hearing will examine the “ongoing religious persecution of Christians by radical Islamists,” the wide-reaching implications of Trump’s re-designation of Nigeria as a CPC, and the course of action the US State Department should follow in response to the “Nigerian government’s complicity in these crimes.”
“The notorious Fulani-linked groups responsible for so much suffering, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association and others, now face sanctions, visa bans, and asset freezes. At last, the machinery of justice is moving,” Mr. Utoo stated.
