Nigeria’s Defense Minister Matawalle attempted to bribe U.S. official over genocide report – US lawmaker

United States Representative Kimberly Daniels has alleged that Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, attempted to bribe a U.S. official to suppress a report on the genocide of Christians in Nigeria.

Kimberly Daniels, a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives and Chairperson of the United World Congress of Diplomats (UN-WCD), has leveled serious bribery allegations against Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle. In a viral video posted to her official Facebook account on Monday, April 20, 2026, Daniels claimed that Matawalle attempted to offer money to an elected U.S. official. The alleged bribe was intended to deflect and alter the findings of a UN-WCD report regarding the genocide of Christians in Nigeria, a document that reportedly implicates the minister.

The lawmaker reaffirmed her commitment to exposing the ongoing violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern regions, asserting that she will not be intimidated by political pressure or financial inducements. Daniels had previously made headlines for calling on President Bola Tinubu to dismiss Matawalle, citing alleged complicity in the systematic killings occurring in Plateau, Benue, and Kaduna states. Despite the gravity of the accusations involving international corruption and human rights violations, the Nigerian Ministry of Defence and the minister himself have yet to issue an official response to the claims.

The allegations have sparked fresh international scrutiny over Nigeria’s internal security management and the conduct of its high-ranking officials. Daniels emphasized that the integrity of the UN-WCD report must be preserved to ensure justice for the victims of the conflict. In her video statement, she was explicit about the alleged encounter, stating: “A US elected official was offered money by Nigeria’s minister of state defense, Bello Matawalle, to change the narrative of the UN-WCD Christian genocide in Nigeria report.” She further insisted that no amount of pressure can silence her stand against the killings of Christians in Nigeria.

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