Five United States lawmakers have introduced a bill at the country’s House of Representatives seeking to compel the Secretary of State to submit a “comprehensive report on US efforts to address the ongoing religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria”.
If the proposed legislation becomes law, the Departments of
State and Treasury are expected to impose sanctions, including visa ban and
asset freeze, on “individuals or entities responsible for severe religious
freedom violations” in Nigeria.
The entities and individual listed for sanctions are Rabiu
Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano and national leader of the New Nigerian
People’s Party (NNPP), Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria
(MACBAN), Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, and those described as “Fulani-ethnic
nomad militias in Nigeria”.
The bill was introduced on Tuesday at the US house of
representatives.
The congressmen who sponsored the proposed legislation are
Chris Smith, Riley Moore (bill author), Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill
Huizenga.
The proposed legislation is titled: ‘Nigeria Religious
Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026’.
In a copy of the bill seen by TheCable, the sponsors said US
President Donald Trump “acted justly” by redesignating Nigeria as a country of
particular concern (CPC).
The lawmakers stated that the US should use “all available
diplomatic, humanitarian, economic, and security tools to pressure the
Government of Nigeria to end impunity for perpetrators of mass atrocities and
religious persecution and protect Christian communities, clergy, and other
targeted religious minorities”.
Based on the provisions of the proposed legislation, the
secretary of state is expected to determine whether certain Fulani-ethnic
militias in Nigeria qualify as a foreign terrorist organisation.
“The United States should deliver humanitarian assistance,
co-funded by the Government of Nigeria, through trusted civil society
organizations, including faith-based organizations, in Nigeria’s middle belt
states,” part of the bill reads.
“The Department of State and the Department of the Treasury
should impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes under
the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, on individuals or
entities responsible for severe religious freedom violations, or report to
Congress the reasons such sanctions have not been imposed, including—
“(A) Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria;
“(B) Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor;
‘(C) Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria
(MACBAN); and
“(D) Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.”
Moore, author of the bill, has been one of the US
politicians insistent on claims of systemic Christian persecution in Nigeria.
He paid a visit to Nigeria in November 2025 over the claim.
In November 2025, Trump designated Nigeria as a country of
particular concern, a move that allows the US executive branch to apply
diplomatic and economic measures.
Trump also authorised coordinated strikes with the Nigerian
government against suspected militants on Christmas Day 2025.
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