A former Nigerian Air Force officer says U.S. lawmakers are united in their concerns over persistent killings in Nigeria, prompting hurried diplomatic engagements from Abuja.
Nigeria’s diplomatic machinery is scrambling to reassure Washington amid renewed U.S. congressional scrutiny of persistent killings across the country, according to a report from BUSINESSDAY. Ayo Olumekor, a former Nigerian Air Force officer, told the newspaper that recent statements and hearings in the U.S. Congress reflect deep governance and security failures that Nigerian authorities have not addressed decisively.
Olumekor said American lawmakers from both parties now openly acknowledge that “religiously targeted killings” are occurring in Nigeria, even if they disagree on classification. He noted that debates in Washington have revived questions on whether Christians face genocide, an issue Nigerian authorities have been reluctant to confront.
He warned that recurring mass abductions highlight systemic security lapses. “For that to still happen, it means there’s something we are not getting right,” he said, adding that many Nigerians believe “Boko Haram is being treated with kid gloves.”
Olumekor recalled that U.S. pressure intensified after former President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” following advocacy by Congressman Chris Smith and Senator Ted Cruz. He said lawmakers were disappointed by Nigeria’s failure to produce evidence of arrests or prosecutions. “There are no records of consequences being meted out to perpetrators,” he said.
He also criticised Abuja’s diplomatic gaps, including years without ambassadors in major countries, which left Nigeria unrepresented during key debates.
Two senior U.S. State Department officials confirmed scheduled meetings with Nuhu Ribadu’s delegation as Washington pushes for accountability, transparency, and concrete action.