A fresh US Congress bill has recommended targeted sanctions and other restrictive measures on individuals and entities who lawmakers say are responsible for severe violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.
The bill named 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 include visa
bans and asset freezes.
Smith Christopher, member of the house of representatives,
introduced the bill on Tuesday while commending US President Donald Trump for
re-designating Nigeria a country of particular concern (CPC).
In the bill, Christopher added that the US also places
“Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau states on the entities
of particular concern (EPC) list under the International Religious Freedom Act.
EPCs are non-state actors that have engaged in particularly
severe violations of religious freedom under US law.
Some previously designated EPCs include Boko Haram, the
Houthis, ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa, and the Taliban.
The bill came the same day as an announcement from Ted Cruz,
US senator, who vowed to hold Nigerian officials accountable over claims of a
Christian genocide.
“I intend to be very explicit about who they are in the
coming days and weeks,” Cruz said.
In October, the senator had proposed a bill christened the
‘Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025’.
The proposed bill called for targeted sanctions against
“federal officials or state governors” who “promoted, enacted, or maintained
Nigerian blasphemy laws, including through public advocacy, legislative action,
or executive enforcement directives”.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected these
allegations, maintaining that religion is not a major factor in the country’s
insecurity conundrum.
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