By Jane Okafor, Abuja
United States Congressman Riley Moore has commended the Nigerian government and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for safely rescuing 100 abducted Catholic schoolchildren in Niger State, saying it is a positive sign of improved response to the country’s security challenges.
Moore who is in Nigeria for discussion with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser(NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, made this known in a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
“I want to thank the Nigerian government and @officialABAT for rescuing the 100 innocent and precious Catholic school children. This is a positive demonstration of the government’s increasing response to the security situation and shows commitment to the emergency declaration laid out by President Tinubu,” he stated.
The Daily Crucible reports that Moore who had made repeated claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, has softened his position a bit, acknowledging efforts being made by both the Federal Government and President Tinubu to sort things out, and declaring that he and other American lawmakers held “productive and positive” conversations with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Mr Moore is part of the US congressional delegation visiting Nigeria to discuss security in Nigeria.
Moore revealed that the concerns raised by the US delegation to Nigeria over security challenges in the country were positively received, noting that the establishment of a joint task force between Nigeria and the United States attested to the evidence of growing cooperation.
He, emphasised that openness must be accompanied by concrete action, concluding by offering goodwill to Nigerians, saying, “Peace be with you all. God bless the great people of Nigeria.”
In the discussions between the US delegation and Nigerian Government officials, Moore said things were going in the right direction but stressed that there was “much work still to be done” to improve security conditions in Nigeria.
“There is much work still to be done, but things are moving in the right direction. I look forward to the next steps with the Nigerian government and continued open dialogue,” he said.
He explained that the delegation and Nigerian officials reviewed concrete steps and actions that, if fully implemented, could significantly improve security across the country.
“There were concrete steps and actions discussed at length, that if fully executed, I believe will enhance security across the country for all Nigerians, disrupt and destroy terrorist organisations in the North-East and stop the killing of Christians — a specific concern for @POTUS and me — particularly in the Middle Belt of the country,” Moore said.
