U.S. lawmaker condemns Taraba church burning, says Washington will act

Crime Diary, International, North America, Politics

Lagos, Nigeria (NPA) — March 6, 2026 — Riley Moore, a member of the United States Congress tasked by President Donald Trump to investigate the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria, has condemned the reported burning of St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral in Wukari, Taraba State, on March 4, 2026.

The attack, attributed to Islamist militants, drew widespread attention after images of the destroyed church circulated on social media. In a statement on March 6, Moore offered condolences to parishioners and cited scripture: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Moore stressed that Christians in Nigeria continue to face targeted violence, adding: “The United States has declared Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, and we won’t stand idly by as Christians continue to face this violence.”

Last week, the congressional committee chaired by Moore submitted recommendations to the U.S. President on measures to address what it described as systematic attacks on Christian communities in Africa’s most populous nation.

According to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety Nigeria), Islamist extremist groups in Nigeria—most notably Boko Haram and allied militants—have systematically targeted churches as part of a campaign to intimidate Christian communities, diminish their presence, and advance their goal of establishing a religiously homogenous state. Since 2009, an estimated 19,100 churches have been attacked, burned, or destroyed, averaging about 1,200 per year (roughly 100 per month).

The primary driver behind these attacks is ideological motivation. Groups such as Boko Haram seek to impose a strict Islamist order, viewing Christian institutions as symbols of resistance to their ideology and as strategic targets for undermining community cohesion and morale.

The Nigerian government has introduced several measures to address the violence, including military operations such as targeted airstrikes against Islamist extremist groups. However, analysts caution that these efforts remain insufficient, noting that the attacks have continued to escalate in both frequency and scale.