A new controversy has emerged over Nigeria’s worsening security situation, following claims by a United States lawmaker that the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, attempted to stifle international attention on ongoing violence in parts of the country.
The allegation was made by Kimberly Daniels, a member of the Florida House of Representatives and Chairwoman of the United World Congress of Diplomats (UN-WCD), during a Facebook Live broadcast. She accused the minister of trying to influence American officials through what she described as coordinated messaging.
Daniels claimed that after she issued a recent statement highlighting what she termed targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria, she faced pressure from individuals she linked to Matawalle. According to her, these efforts included attempts to discredit her report and “buy support” from U.S.-based elected officials.
She further alleged that an unnamed American lawmaker had been “persuaded” to publicly oppose her position and defend Nigeria’s defence leadership. Daniels also said she received evidence of communications—comprising a prepared statement and promotional materials—purportedly tied to the minister, which she claimed were aimed at dividing U.S. lawmakers, “not knowing that they are united.”
“I am speaking on behalf of people who say they are under attack,” Daniels said, stressing that her intervention was a call for investigation rather than a direct accusation.
The lawmaker rejected any attempts to intimidate or silence her, asserting her constitutional right as an elected official to speak on international human rights concerns.
The dispute follows a report released by Daniels on April 14, 2026, in her role as head of the UN-WCD. The report raised alarm over escalating violence in Nigeria’s North Central and North West regions, citing attacks during the Easter period in states such as Plateau, Kaduna, and Nasarawa.
It also pointed to what it described as a widening gap between government assurances and the realities on the ground, while questioning the continued leadership of the defence ministry under Matawalle over “credibility and integrity concerns.”
Among its recommendations, the report called for a review of Nigeria’s security leadership and urged Bola Tinubu to consider redeploying the minister, alongside initiating a transparent investigation into the allegations.
Daniels maintained that her position was based on testimonies from affected communities, input from members of the Nigerian diaspora, and findings from the UN-WCD’s multinational network spanning the United States, Nigeria, Ghana, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
