Koko Maxwella 
BENUE, Nigeria – More than 600,000 Christians are now living in internally displaced persons’ camps across Benue State, according to United States Congressman Riley Moore, who says the humanitarian crisis is deepening and requires urgent international attention.
Moore makes the estimate on Wednesday following a visit to IDP camps in Benue, where he meets displaced families who recount years of violence, killings and forced displacement linked to prolonged rural insecurity in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“These Christians should be able to live in their ancestral homeland without fear,” Moore says, describing the situation as chronic and worsening.
Writing on X, the US lawmaker says he speaks with “dozens of Christians driven from their homes” who describe attacks that wiped out entire families and left survivors permanently displaced. “They told harrowing stories that will remain with me for the rest of my life,” he writes.
Moore recounts testimonies from women who say they watched close relatives killed during attacks and escaped with severe injuries, as well as from a man who claims his family was hacked to death in front of him, leaving him physically disabled.
During his visit, Moore meets Tiv traditional leaders and senior Catholic clergy, including bishops, to discuss what he describes as ongoing targeted violence affecting agrarian communities in Benue State.
The congressman later holds talks in Abuja with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, focusing on counter-terrorism efforts, rural insecurity and regional stability. Ribadu confirms hosting the US delegation as part of continuing Nigeria–United States security consultations aimed at strengthening strategic cooperation.
Moore describes the trip as productive but stresses that diplomatic engagement must now produce tangible outcomes. “Dialogue is important, but it must translate into concrete action,” he says.
The visit comes amid heightened diplomatic sensitivity following Washington’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged violations of religious freedom, a move that has drawn official responses from Abuja.
Security analysts say the scale of displacement in Benue underscores the growing humanitarian toll of unresolved communal conflicts and highlights the urgent need for civilian protection, recovery initiatives and sustainable peace frameworks in the Middle Belt.
About the Author
Otamere Gladness 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Juliet Jacob