At least 40 people were killed in a Palm Sunday church attack in Jos, Plateau State, prompting US Congressman Riley Moore of West Virginia to urge Nigeria's government to act decisively on insecurity. During a Newsmax interview, Moore condemned the violence, citing the attack on worshippers and another incident in Kaduna State where 13 Christians were killed at a wedding. He referenced a recently submitted report to the White House detailing Nigeria's escalating violence, based on findings from his own visit to the country. Moore, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, confirmed that 200 US military personnel are currently in Nigeria training local forces and that MQ-9 Reaper drones are operational in the region. He recalled a December 2025 Tomahawk missile strike targeting ISIS and Boko Haram, asserting that extremist groups operate with little resistance. Moore warned that if Nigeria does not "step up," the US will "take the lead" in addressing the security crisis, though it prefers cooperation. He dismissed claims that the situation is too complex, calling such assertions "a false claim on its face."
A US congressman is now dictating terms on Nigeria's internal security, citing body counts from Jos and Kaduna as justification for potential American intervention. Riley Moore's warning that Washington may act unilaterally if Abuja doesn't move fast enough exposes how severely Nigeria's sovereignty is being questioned on the global stage. The presence of 200 US troops and armed drones already operating in the country suggests the line between partnership and overreach is blurring. When foreign lawmakers express more urgency about Nigerian lives than the federal government, the crisis is no longer just about insecurity—it's about legitimacy.
