US Congressman Riley Moore visits Benue IDP Camps, decries brutal attacks

US Congressman Riley Moore has raised global attention to the humanitarian crisis in Benue State after paying a visit to several internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, where he met victims of violent attacks that have forced thousands from their ancestral homes.

The American lawmaker, who shared details of his visit on his X handle on Wednesday, said he encountered “dozens of Christians” who had survived brutal assaults and now live in dire conditions across the state’s overcrowded camps.

Moore said the displaced residents narrated “harrowing stories” that would stay with him for life. One woman, he said, was forced to watch as attackers killed her husband and five children before she barely escaped with her unborn baby.

In another shocking account, Moore disclosed that a woman had her family murdered before her eyes, with her baby “ripped from her womb” during the attack. He also met a man whose entire family was hacked to death, leaving him alive but permanently maimed.

According to him, more than 600,000 Christians currently occupy IDP camps in Benue State alone, a situation he described as deeply disturbing and unacceptable.

He insisted that these citizens deserve to live peacefully in their ancestral homes without fear of what he called “genocidal Fulani,” a characterisation that Nigerian authorities have repeatedly rejected.

Moore’s solidarity visit comes at a time when the United States has designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over what former President Donald Trump described as “mass slaughter of Christians.”

While the Nigerian government has pushed back strongly against the designation, the issue has triggered multiple congressional hearings in Washington and a series of diplomatic engagements between both countries.

During the trip, Moore and his delegation also met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, where discussions were reportedly held on security cooperation and the rising humanitarian challenges in the Middle Belt.