Following the murderous attack on Palm Sunday by Terrorists in Jos, Plateau State, a United States Congressman, Riley Moore of West Virginia, has warned Nigeria to address the persisting insecurity situation.
Speaking during an interview on Newsmax, Moore who described the Jos attack as tragic, said that President Donald Trump would be forced again to take measures that will be decisive.
“So as you just reported, unfortunately, we’ve had 40 individuals who were killed at a Palm Sunday service, which is just tragic.
“But as President Trump has been very clear on this, if they don’t address this, we’re going to address it for them. Now, we will like to address it in cooperation and coordination but if they don’t do that, if they don’t step up to the plate here, we are going to start to take the lead on this,” he warned.
According to Moore, who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, a report on Nigeria’s insecurity has been forwarded to the White House.
He explained that the report was the result of an investigation into recent violence in Nigeria and drew on insights from his recent visit to the country.
The US Congressman specifically referenced attacks on religious gatherings, providing details on the reported number of casualties during these incidents.
While expressing concern over rising insecurity, Moore also mentioned another incident involving a gathering in Kaduna State, where additional casualties were recorded.
“And then on top of that, you had another 13 Christians killed by Islamic radical militants at a Christian wedding on Sunday,” he pointed.
On engagement between both countries, the US Lawmaker said recommendations have been presented on possible areas of cooperation.
“So we have a number of suggestions here of how the Nigerian government can work with the United States government to address this,” he said.
Dwelling on US current involvement in Nigeria, he stated:
“Now, currently, we have 200 military individuals from our armed forces there training and working with the Nigerian military to try to address the capability gaps that they have there.
“We have MQ-9 Reapers there currently as well.”
On the first military action taken, he said:
“Tomahawk cruise missile strikes just around Christmas in Nigeria to try to address ISIS and Boko Haram, which also operate in that country, largely unfettered, which is a terrible, terrible situation.”
Assessing the response of Nigerian authorities, Moore observed:
“…The Nigerian government has been trying to make some steps toward this, but they’re not doing it fast enough; things aren’t happening quick enough. And these things keep happening, so something’s got to give here.”
Reacting to the usual reports that Nigeria’s insecurity situation is complex, the Congressman described such statement and belief as false claim.
