US Congressman Riley Moore Urges Nigerian FG to Disarm Middle Belt Militants with AK-47s, Citing Systemic Injustice and Violence

United States Congressman Riley Moore, Friday, November 21, 2025, intensified international pressure on the Nigerian Federal Government, publicly demanding immediate action to disarm armed militant groups operating unchecked in the country’s volatile Middle Belt region.

Speaking at a hearing on the US designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), the Congressman questioned the Nigerian government’s commitment to security, particularly its failure to address the proliferation of illegal small arms like AK-47s among militant groups.

“The Nigerian constitution prohibits the ownership of firearms, but somehow these Fulani militants operating in the Middle Belt region of the country are all armed,” Congressman Moore stated. “Why hasn’t there been some type of move or campaign by the Nigerian government to disarm these militants that are operating there, where we’re seeing a lot of this killing?”

Disarmament Linked to Judicial Clemency

Moore specifically linked the failure to disarm militants to a high-profile judicial case, urging the Nigerian government to consider clemency for Sunday Jackson, a farmer sentenced to death for killing a herdsman in 2015, whose verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court in March 2025.

The Congressman argued that Jackson was merely defending his life against a militant, asserting that the systemic failure to disarm the criminal groups results in double jeopardy for victims who are forced to defend themselves.

“Where is the justice in that? All these Fulani militants are breaking the law… Sunday Jackson disarms this person with a knife, protects his own life. He’s going to prison and now faces the death penalty, and Fulani militants just roaming bands of them with AK-47s, that’s no problem. You are so right about this question of prioritization,” Moore asserted.

The Congressman’s statement reflects growing international concern over the farmer-herder crisis and the perception that armed groups enjoy impunity, calling on the Tinubu administration to urgently prioritize the protection of vulnerable communities and cooperate fully with US security assistance efforts.