Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., told Newsmax Wednesday that he wants the people responsible for the persecution of Christians in Nigeria to be held accountable.
Baumgartner told "Greg Kelly Reports" about his recent visit to Nigeria to highlight the violence against Christians in the country.
"It's a very tough situation for many Christians in Nigeria," he said.
"Somewhere on the order of 7,000 to 50,000 have been killed in religious violence in recent times."
Baumgartner said President Donald Trump is taking the persecution in Nigeria very seriously, giving the Christians in Nigeria a morale boost.
"It was a huge deal in Nigeria, because some sectors of Nigerian society and the government have really been ignoring this problem, and many Christian leaders have been asking for help globally," he said.
"We had dinner with the Nigerian national security adviser, the minister of defense, and others, and they all spoke to the fact that President Trump highlighting this issue has really brought it to the fore within Nigeria.
"Now they need to work together and, hopefully, work with America to improve the situation for Christians in the country," Baumgartner continued.
"There's just a lot of Islamic militants that are able to use the relatively ungoverned space of Nigeria to attack Christians."
Baumgartner said the Nigerian government needs to set up police forces that can deal with the problem.
"And that there [are] trials and convictions of these folks — these Muslim extremists engaging in these actions against Christians. There are no silver bullets in these areas, but it's the best when the local governments can deal with them. And certainly Nigeria can do that," he said.
"It's one of the richest countries in Africa. They do have the resources to take action, and we need to see more action from them."
Baumgartner said he believes Nigeria will be spurred into taking action due to the threats of restrictions on visas and increased tariffs by Trump.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.