The United States congress will on Thursday hear allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria.

The hearing will be chaired by Chris Smith, chairman of the house foreign affairs Africa sub-committee.

This follows President Donald Trump’s re-designation of the African nation as a country of particular concern (CPC).

Smith, who has been one of several US lawmakers pushing the allegations, had introduced a resolution naming the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as erring entities.

Sanctions recommended on members of the groups included visa bans and asset freezes.

The resolution also asked that the US place “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau states on the entities of particular concern (EPC) list under the International Religious Freedom Act.

Thursday’s congressional hearing will examine the “ongoing religious persecution of Christians by radical Islamists”, the wide-reaching implications of Trump’s re-designation of Nigeria as a CPC, and the course of action the US State Department should follow in response to the “Nigerian government’s complicity in these crimes”, Smith’s office said.

A partial list of witnesses on the first panel include Jonathan Pratt, senior bureau official, bureau of African Affairs, State Department; and Jacob McGee, deputy assistant secretary, bureau of democracy, human rights, and labour, State Department.

The second panel will comprise Nina Shea, senior fellow and director, Centre for Religious Freedom; Wilfred Anagbe, bishop of Makurdi diocese; and Oge Onubogu, director and senior fellow, Africa Programme, Centre for Strategic & International Studies.

A violent altercation erupted aboard a commercial flight between comedian Mr Jollof and controversial social media activist VeryDarkMan, with both men seen exchanging punches in a video that has since gone viral.

Footage from the incident shows the pair, apparently seated near each other, engaging in a heated fistfight as fellow passengers rushed to intervene. Voices can be heard in the background pleading for the men to stop.

The mid-air clash represents a dramatic escalation of a feud that has been ongoing since 2024. The dispute began after VeryDarkMan accused Mr Jollof’s wife, Esinjemiyotan, of allegedly using improper means to secure her husband’s appointment as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on New Media to Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.

VeryDarkMan further claimed that Esinjemiyotan had an affair with an internet fraudster at a hotel in Delta State. In response, she filed a N500 million defamation suit against him, demanding public apologies in at least two national newspapers and across all his social media platforms.

She also sought a court injunction preventing VeryDarkMan from making any further defamatory statements about her, directly or indirectly.

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Bandits have killed the Vice Principal, Hassan Makuku, and abducted 25 students from the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Kebbi State.

The attack occurred on Sunday night in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of the state. Sources said the gunmen shot Makuku while he tried to protect the students before abducting several schoolgirls.

The Kebbi State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, confirmed the incident on Monday, stating that 25 students were taken by the attackers.

Ahmed Idris, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said Deputy Governor Umar Tafida had been sent to the school to assess the situation on behalf of Governor Nasir Idris, who is currently out of the state.