Riley Moore: A Destabilised Nigeria would Embolden Terrorists, make Christians Less Safe

Riley Moore, a member of the house of representatives in the United States, says efforts to embolden separatists pushing for secession from Nigeria would only hurt Christians.

Moore visited Nigeria in December on a “fact-finding mission” to examine allegations of a Christian genocide after US President Donald Trump threatened to send troops into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” to wipe out the said assailants.

During his trip, the lawmaker met with Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA). He also visited Benue state, where he met with Hyacinth Alia, the governor, religious and traditional rulers, aid groups, and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

“In my discussions, the idea of dividing the country has not come up in any serious way,” Moore said in a tweet on Saturday.

“Efforts to embolden separatists hurt Christians in Nigeria – especially in the North and Middle Belt. A destabilised Nigeria would embolden terrorists and make Christians less safe in Nigeria and across the continent.”

‘EFFORTS TO EMBOLDEN SEPARATISTS’

In January, the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) announced a lobbying contract with Washington & Madison, a DC–based lobbyist group, headed by Elias Gerasoulis.

Gerasoulis previously served as partner and vice president of Moran Global Strategies, a lobbying firm, where he pushed pro-Biafra interests within the Trump circle.

After establishing Washington & Madison, Gerasoulis took the firm’s Biafran clients with him.

For a monthly fee of $66,000, part of the lobbying scope mandated Washington & Madison to accuse Nigeria’s south-east state governors of being “complicit in Christian genocide and highly dangerous to U.S. interests” and to drive US engagement with a putative Biafran administration.

The development came a month after the federal government hired a lobbying firm in a $9 million contract to assist in communicating its actions on protecting Christians in Nigeria to the US government.

Investigation showed how social media accounts favouring the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group in Nigeria that aims to restore the defunct Republic of Biafra, locally amplified claims of a Christian genocide.

Moore noted that the US and Nigeria have entered into a security cooperation agreement.

He described it as an important step in tackling violence in Nigeria and strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two countries.