By Obinna Uballa
Five Republican members of the United States House of Representatives have introduced a bill seeking to compel the US Secretary of State to submit a comprehensive report on efforts to address what they described as ongoing religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.
If passed into law, the proposed legislation would require the US Departments of State and Treasury to impose sanctions – including visa bans and asset freezes – on individuals and entities accused of severe violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.
Those specifically named for possible sanctions in the bill include Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State and national leader of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP); the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore; and groups described as “Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria”.
The bill, titled ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026’, was introduced on Tuesday by Congressmen Chris Smith, Riley Moore (lead author), Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga.
According to a copy of the proposed legislation, the lawmakers commended US President Donald Trump for what they described as a justified decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over religious freedom violations.
The sponsors argued that the United States should deploy “all available diplomatic, humanitarian, economic, and security tools” to pressure the Nigerian government to end impunity for perpetrators of mass atrocities and protect Christian communities, clergy, and other targeted religious minorities.
The bill also directs the Secretary of State to determine whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria qualify for designation as Foreign Terrorist Organisations.
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.”
The legislation further proposes that the US deliver humanitarian assistance, co-funded by the Nigerian government, through trusted civil society and faith-based organisations operating in Nigeria’s Middle Belt states.
The New Diplomat had reported that Moore, the bill’s author, hailed it as a good way forward. He has been vocal about what he describes as systemic persecution of Christians in Nigeria. He visited the country in November 2025 in connection with those claims.
In November 2025, Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a classification that enables the US executive branch to apply diplomatic and economic measures.
The US president also authorised coordinated strikes with the Nigerian government against suspected militants on Christmas Day 2025.
