A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the rescue of Reverend Father Nathaniel Asuwaye of Holy Trinity Parish, Kaduna, who was abducted alongside 10 other individuals.
Mr Moore made the call in a statement posted on X on Monday, where he expressed concern over the kidnapping of the Catholic priest and members of his parish, while also urging President Tinubu to halt what he described as the genocide of Christians in Nigeria.
“Please join me in praying for the safe return of Fr. Nathaniel Asuwaye of Holy Trinity Parish in Kaduna, who was kidnapped alongside 10 others,” Mr Moore said.
“Three of his parishioners were brutally murdered by radical Islamic jihadists during the attack.”
Commenting on the abduction of Mr Asuwaye and a series of attacks recorded in the past week, Mr Moore stated, “The last week has been some of the most horrifically bloody days in recent history for Christians across Nigeria.”
He further added, “The genocide of Christians must end, and it falls squarely on the Nigerian government’s shoulders to defend its citizens—all of its citizens—and end this violent persecution.”
Mr Moore, who has been at the forefront of advocacy surrounding alleged Christian “genocide” in Nigeria, has repeatedly drawn attention to the killing of Christians in Africa’s most populous nation by terrorist groups.
Following sustained international advocacy on the issue, former U.S. President Donald Trump, in November last year, designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
The designation was later followed by an order from the American president directing the U.S. military to carry out airstrikes against terrorists in Sokoto State on Christmas Day.
