... Save Nigeria Group USA rallies @Capitol, cites 52,000 killed and 11m displaced, urges full CPC enforcement
A large coalition of Nigerians, under the aegis of the Save Nigeria Group USA (SNG-USA), on Tuesday rallied at the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, demanding urgent intervention from the United States government regarding the protracted security crisis in Nigeria and seeking accountability regarding the academic and financial records of President Bola Tinubu, reports ITREALMS.
The protest, which drew members from across the United States, focused heavily on the over 52,000 Nigerians reportedly killed in sectarian violence and the 11 million citizens trapped in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across the country. The rally was bolstered by activists from other African countries and supportive Americans.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Stephen Osemwegie, leader of the SNG USA, decried the government’s failure to protect lives and property against the seemingly intractable ethnic and religious killings and recurrent kidnappings plaguing regions like Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and the Southeast.
Osemwegie stressed that the violence is not mere conflict but a targeted campaign: "We gather today on this sacred ground... Today, millions of Christians across Nigeria are living in terror. In Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, and the Southeast, the attacks are relentless: Churches burned, villages wiped out, women and children abducted. Over 11 million displaced Christians are struggling to survive. This is not random violence; this is a systematic campaign of religious and ethnic cleansing, carried out by jihadist militias and protected by political actors. Call it what it is: A Christian Genocide."
He praised the U.S. government's recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), crediting President Donald Trump for the move, calling it the "first true step toward stopping the killings."
The group further argued that the foundation of Nigeria is compromised, criticizing the current 1999 Constitution as a "weaponized federal structure that empowers extremists, suppresses regions, and fuels oppression."
Speaking at the event, Mr. Stephen Osemwegie, leader of the SNG USA, decried the government’s failure to protect lives and property against the seemingly intractable ethnic and religious killings and recurrent kidnappings plaguing regions like Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and the Southeast.
Osemwegie stressed that the violence is not mere conflict but a targeted campaign: "We gather today on this sacred ground... Today, millions of Christians across Nigeria are living in terror. In Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, and the Southeast, the attacks are relentless: Churches burned, villages wiped out, women and children abducted. Over 11 million displaced Christians are struggling to survive. This is not random violence; this is a systematic campaign of religious and ethnic cleansing, carried out by jihadist militias and protected by political actors. Call it what it is: A Christian Genocide."
He praised the U.S. government's recent redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), crediting President Donald Trump for the move, calling it the "first true step toward stopping the killings."
The group further argued that the foundation of Nigeria is compromised, criticizing the current 1999 Constitution as a "weaponized federal structure that empowers extremists, suppresses regions, and fuels oppression."
They called for the document to be repealed and replaced with a constitutional framework modeled on the 1960 Constitution, which respected regional autonomy and fair political balance.
Echoing the recent stance of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Osemwegie contended: “When a government fails to protect its citizens, the people have the right to call for international intervention. That moment is now.”
The SNG USA urged the U.S. Government to move immediately to enforce the CPC designation and pass critical legislation:
For the U.S. Senate, the group called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to bring Senator Ted Cruz’s bill, S.2747, to the floor for an immediate vote; The bill aims to target terror sponsors, sanction corrupt officials, and cut off funding fueling the killings.
Also for the U.S. House of Representatives, they urged Speaker Mike Johnson to pass House Resolutions H.Res. 860 (Rep. Chris Smith) and H.Res. 866 (Rep. Riley Moore), both of which recognize the ongoing killings as Christian Genocide and demand accountability.
Further, the group demanded "full CPC enforcement" against Nigerian political figures, military officers, security officials, or financiers involved in terror sponsorship, covering up massacres, protecting killers, or profiting from stolen crude oil and blood minerals.
Echoing the recent stance of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Osemwegie contended: “When a government fails to protect its citizens, the people have the right to call for international intervention. That moment is now.”
The SNG USA urged the U.S. Government to move immediately to enforce the CPC designation and pass critical legislation:
For the U.S. Senate, the group called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to bring Senator Ted Cruz’s bill, S.2747, to the floor for an immediate vote; The bill aims to target terror sponsors, sanction corrupt officials, and cut off funding fueling the killings.
Also for the U.S. House of Representatives, they urged Speaker Mike Johnson to pass House Resolutions H.Res. 860 (Rep. Chris Smith) and H.Res. 866 (Rep. Riley Moore), both of which recognize the ongoing killings as Christian Genocide and demand accountability.
Further, the group demanded "full CPC enforcement" against Nigerian political figures, military officers, security officials, or financiers involved in terror sponsorship, covering up massacres, protecting killers, or profiting from stolen crude oil and blood minerals.
They specified measures including sanctions, visa bans, asset freezes, and criminal referrals, asserting: "Blood money must not continue flowing through American banks or global markets."
A core, highly controversial demand of the SNG USA was directed at U.S. law enforcement and academic institutions for transparency regarding Nigeria's current leader.
They called on FBI Director Kash Patel to release the 2,500 redacted pages relating to criminal investigations involving President Tinubu, particularly the case that resulted in a $400,000 forfeiture tied to heroin trafficking.
"Americans died. Nigerian Christians are dying. And yet the records are still being concealed? The United States, the City on a Hill, must not protect the wicked," the group contended.
They also demanded that Chicago State University "stop obstructing transparency" concerning President Tinubu’s academic records, insisting: "Truth is not optional. Human life is not negotiable."
Finally, the group called for the immediate release of Mr. Sunday Jackson, a Christian farmer on death row after being sentenced by Nigeria’s Supreme Court for killing a Fulani herdsman in what he claimed was self-defense.
A select number of SNG USA members later held a two-hour closed-door meeting with U.S. diplomats at the request of the U.S. State Department in Washington DC.
Remmy Nweke/DoP
A core, highly controversial demand of the SNG USA was directed at U.S. law enforcement and academic institutions for transparency regarding Nigeria's current leader.
They called on FBI Director Kash Patel to release the 2,500 redacted pages relating to criminal investigations involving President Tinubu, particularly the case that resulted in a $400,000 forfeiture tied to heroin trafficking.
"Americans died. Nigerian Christians are dying. And yet the records are still being concealed? The United States, the City on a Hill, must not protect the wicked," the group contended.
They also demanded that Chicago State University "stop obstructing transparency" concerning President Tinubu’s academic records, insisting: "Truth is not optional. Human life is not negotiable."
Finally, the group called for the immediate release of Mr. Sunday Jackson, a Christian farmer on death row after being sentenced by Nigeria’s Supreme Court for killing a Fulani herdsman in what he claimed was self-defense.
A select number of SNG USA members later held a two-hour closed-door meeting with U.S. diplomats at the request of the U.S. State Department in Washington DC.
Remmy Nweke/DoP
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