US Congressman, Riley Moore, has given the Nigerian government two conditions that must be met before any partnership with the US military can be considered to help in addressing the security challenges confronting Nigeria.
Congressman Moore who gave the conditions in an interview with Fox News on Saturday, said one of the conditions is the immediate release of Sunday Jackson who was sentenced to death for killing a Fulani herdsman in self-defence after confronting the herdsman who allegedly invaded his farm in Adamawa State.
The Republican lawmaker said the wrongful conviction of Jackson must be revoked and he must be released before the US would consider partnering with Nigeria to tackle the decade-long security crisis.
Rep. Moore said the second requirement is for the Nigerian government to present a credible plan to disarm Islamic extremist groups and Fulani herdsmen who are causing unrest in the Middle Belt region of the country.
While responding to a question on what the Nigerian government must do for the US to step in and offer assistance, Moore said:
“It sounds like they are open to partner with the United States to stop these killings. They met with myself and the administration as well.
“We made some progress in getting them to place to partner with us to stop these killings but there is a lot of things they need to do and I think one of the first steps is releasing Sunday Jackson.
“Another one of coming up working with us with a plan to disarm the radical Fulani militants in the Middle Belt of the country,” he stated.
Also speaking on the recent spate of kidnappings of school children and attacks on Christians, Moore called on the Nigerian government to urgently confront armed groups to mitigate the attacks and abductions.
In a statement he posted on his X handle on Saturday, Moore expressed outrage over the reported attacks where over 300 students were kidnapped from a school in Niger State.
“As a father, seeing these attacks makes my stomach turn. The Nigerian government must intensify efforts against those carrying out the violence. They must disarm the radical Muslim Fulani militants terrorising the Middle Belt.
“The persecution of Christians in Nigeria is escalating out of control. I believe it is now a genocide,” he wrote.
