According to him, one woman was forced to watch armed attackers kill her husband and five children before she narrowly escaped with her unborn baby.
By Asaye Bankole
More than 600,000 displaced Christians are currently taking refuge in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Benue State, according to a grim report shared by U.S. Congressman Riley M. Moore after his visit to the area.
Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd District in the U.S. House of Representatives, said he met with “dozens of Christians who had been forced from their homes and subjected to horrific violence.”
He described their testimonies as horrific, saying they would stay with him “for the rest of my life.”
In a series of posts on his official X account, Moore recounted several instances of extreme brutality allegedly carried out during attacks on villages.
According to him, one woman was forced to watch armed attackers kill her husband and five children before she narrowly escaped with her unborn baby.
Another survivor, he said, witnessed her entire family being killed in front of her before the attackers “tore her baby from her womb.”
Moore also recounted meeting a man whose family was “hacked to death,” and whose own arm was left permanently damaged in the attack.
“These Christians should be able to live in their ancestral homeland without fear,” Moore wrote, condemning what he called “genocidal violence” against rural Christian communities.
He warned that the scale of displacement in Benue alone shows a worsening humanitarian crisis, urging greater international attention to the suffering of survivors now living in overcrowded, poorly equipped IDP camps.
The congressman also shared photos from his visit, depicting victims of the violence and the conditions inside the camps.
Authorities in Nigeria and international rights groups have long documented repeated attacks on farming communities across the Middle Belt, though the number of casualties and the identities of the attackers are often disputed.
Moore’s account adds to growing calls from foreign lawmakers, humanitarian organizations, and local leaders for urgent action to protect vulnerable communities and address the root causes of the violence.
Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE
KoikiMedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep