U.S. lawmaker Riley Moore has accused former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of involvement in the killings of Christians in Nigeria, citing his 2000 signing of the Sharia law that prescribes death for blasphemy.
Moore made the accusation after Kwankwaso criticised U.S. plans for possible military action in Nigeria, following President Donald Trump’s remarks on alleged religious persecution in the country. “Governor—do you care to comment on your own complicity in the death of Christians?” Moore wrote on social media.
Responding to Trump’s statements, Kwankwaso defended Nigeria’s sovereignty, saying insecurity affects all citizens regardless of religion. He urged the U.S. to support Nigeria with technology and diplomacy instead of threats, and called for unity among Nigerians.
Moore, who leads a U.S. team investigating alleged “genocide against Christians,” told Fox News that Trump would soon receive policy options on how to stop the killings. Trump had earlier redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and hinted that the U.S. military might intervene if the killings continued.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu dismissed the genocide claims, insisting the constitution guarantees religious freedom and equality. He said his administration engages both Christian and Muslim leaders and continues to tackle nationwide insecurity.
Tinubu described U.S. accusations of religious intolerance as a “mischaracterisation” of Nigeria’s reality, stressing the government’s commitment to peaceful coexistence and protection of all faiths.
