{"id":96419,"date":"2025-12-04T15:39:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T15:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=96419"},"modified":"2025-12-04T15:49:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T15:49:55","slug":"protest-rocks-u-s-capitol-as-nigerians-in-america-demand-action-over-christian-killings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=96419","title":{"rendered":"Protest rocks U.S. Capitol as Nigerians in America demand action over Christian killings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of Nigerian immigrants and supporters rallied outside the U.S. Capitol this week, calling on the United States to take concrete action over what they described as a wave of \u201cChristian genocide\u201d in Nigeria. The protest \u2014 organised by Save Nigeria Group USA \u2014 drew people from across the United States, Canada, other African countries, and Americans who have lived or travelled in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Demonstrators at the Capitol in Washington.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Amid crisp winter weather, the demonstrators carried placards, prayed, and observed moments of silence to honour victims. The organisers said more than 52,000 Nigerians have been killed in the ongoing sectarian violence, while around 11 million others remain displaced in IDP camps.<\/p>\n

Addressing the crowd, Save Nigeria Group USA President Stephen Osemwegie denounced what he called a coordinated campaign of religious and ethnic violence \u2014 arguing that attacks against Christian communities in parts of Nigeria are not random acts of banditry or conflict, but systematic \u201creligious and ethnic cleansing.\u201d He singled out states including Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Southern Kaduna, Borno, and parts of the Southeast.<\/p>\n

Osemwegie called on the U.S. government and Congress to act without delay \u2014 urging enforcement of visa bans, asset freezes, sanctions, and criminal referrals for any individuals or officials found complicit in violence, terror sponsorship, or exploitation of displaced communities.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cBlood money must not continue flowing through American banks or global markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the rally, supporters also demanded the release of Sunday Jackson, a Nigerian farmer sentenced to death for killing a Fulani herdsman \u2014 an act his supporters say was self-defense. They argued the case is emblematic of broader systemic injustice: \u201cProtect defenders \u2014 not terrorists,\u201d they chanted.<\/p>\n

In a move directly tied to the protestors\u2019 demands, the United States Department of State announced on December 3, 2025 that it will begin restricting visas for Nigerians \u2014 and their family members \u2014 deemed responsible for mass killings or violence targeting Christians. The policy falls under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.<\/p>\n

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the step is part of a broader U.S. strategy to hold perpetrators accountable and respond to what the U.S. government describes as \u201cegregious anti-Christian violence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The protest and the subsequent U.S. visa measures come amid mounting international scrutiny over religious violence in Nigeria. Supporters of the Save Nigeria Group and similar diaspora-led organisations see the U.S. actions as long-overdue steps toward justice and protection for vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n

But not everyone agrees. Back in Nigeria, a coalition of northern groups known as the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) dismissed the characterisation of \u201cChristian genocide\u201d as a false and dangerous narrative. Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, the CNG argued the violence is part of a broader security crisis affecting people of all religions, and condemned what they described as attempts to exploit the tragedy for political ends.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the House of Representatives of Nigeria recently condemned a U.S. bill \u2014 the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 \u2014 that seeks to hold Nigerian officials accountable for alleged mass murder of Christians. The House rejected the implication of state-sponsored religious genocide and warned against what it called a damaging narrative that could harm Nigeria\u2019s international image.<\/p>\n

At the end of the rally, a delegation from Save Nigeria Group USA reportedly met with U.S. diplomats for a two-hour closed-door session \u2014 part of a broader series of engagements this week involving Congressional committees, State Department representatives, and advocacy efforts spotlighting Nigeria\u2019s security crisis.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe \u2014 a participant at the protest \u2014 says he will meet with Representative Riley Moore next week to advocate further for the case of Sunday Jackson and broader accountability on behalf of persecuted communities.<\/p>\n

The demonstration at the U.S. Capitol \u2014 and swift policy response from Washington \u2014 signals a new phase of diaspora-led activism and Western engagement on Nigeria\u2019s religious-violence crisis. But with competing narratives, contested facts, and deep national divisions, what follows could shape Nigeria\u2019s future: whether toward greater international accountability or deeper internal polarisation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of Nigerian immigrants and supporters rallied outside the U.S. Capitol this week, calling on the United States to take concrete action over what they described as a wave of \u201cChristian genocide\u201d in Nigeria. The protest \u2014 organised by Save Nigeria Group USA \u2014 drew people from across the United States, Canada, other African countries, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":96423,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5787],"tags":[7623,7552,721,181,2588,577],"class_list":["post-96419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-world","tag-capitol","tag-christian-genocide","tag-nigerians","tag-protesters","tag-sanctions","tag-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/96423"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}