A bill seeking to ban visa and asset freeze, as well as other sanctions against a former governor of Kano and the national leader of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Miyetti Allah Kautal Horeon, among others is being proposed by five United States lawmakers
The bill introduced on Tuesday at the country’s House of Representatives seeks to mandate the Secretary of State to submit a “comprehensive report on US efforts to address the ongoing religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria”.
Titled ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026’, the bill was sponsored by Congressman Chris Smith, Riley Moore (bill author), Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga, proposed the bill.
They said President Donald Trump “acted justly” by redesignating Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC), and called on the US to 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”.
The Secretary of State, according to the bill, is to determine whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria qualify as a foreign terrorist organisation.
The bill reads, “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.
“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 Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria; former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.”
The author of the bill, Moore, said Christians were systemically facing persecution in Nigeria, but the Federal Government has repeatedly denied the allegation, saying followers of the two religions are victims of violence, particularly terrorism.
