A coalition of Nigerians living in the United States has taken their campaign to Capitol Hill, accusing the Federal Government of consistently denying what they describe as a growing pattern of Christian killings, widespread human rights abuses, and state-enabled violence across Nigeria.
Determined to present what they called “the true situation on the ground,” the groups held a series of briefings with members of the US Congress before the arrival of a Nigerian government delegation scheduled to meet the same lawmakers.
Speaking in a video statement shared with our source, a coalition leader, Evans Nwankwo, said their mission was driven by the need to prevent what he described as “official misrepresentation” of Nigeria’s worsening security and humanitarian conditions.
“We are here to meet with lawmakers of the US to make sure that we tell them the real story of what is going on in Nigeria,” he said, stressing that the government’s public narrative does not reflect the experiences of communities under attack.
Dr. Sylvester Onyia, President of the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), referenced President Bola Tinubu’s recent remark that “justice is not for sale,” insisting that the statement must extend to the judicial process involving IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu.
“That goes for the court— that it cannot be bought with money to deliver against Nnamdi Kanu,” he said. “We are watching. The world is watching. And we are in the capital.”
AVID’s Executive Director, Chukwuemeka Nwankwo, went further, accusing the Nigerian government of sponsoring and arming certain security groups who, he alleged, target young people while shifting the blame to innocent citizens.
He claimed that the government “sponsored the formation of ‘Ebube Agwu’ and another security outfit just to kill our youth and blame it on innocent people,” insisting that such actions were part of a broader attempt to criminalize Kanu and justify his prolonged detention.
Nwankwo also painted a grim picture of the humanitarian crisis unfolding across Nigeria, saying millions of displaced families are enduring severe hardship with little support from authorities.
“Over 10 million people are living in IDP camps and nobody is talking about it,” he said. “Nobody is talking about taking them back to their ancestral homes. All they care about is doing the wrong thing. They are the ones who need to repent— not terrorists.”
Adding his voice, US-based Catholic priest and Coordinator of Rising Sun, Rev. Fr. Augustine Odimmegwa, said the coalition’s visit to Washington became necessary to counter what he described as a misleading global narrative that downplays the scale of killings and displacement across Nigeria.
He noted that many international institutions rely heavily on government-supplied data, making it essential for the diaspora to present alternative evidence and testimonies from affected communities.
The coalition is expected to hold additional briefings with congressional committees, humanitarian organizations, and religious freedom monitors as they continue to push for international scrutiny of Nigeria’s security operations and human rights record.
Source: THE WHISTLER
