Five United States lawmakers have sponsored a bill calling for visa restrictions and asset freezes against former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, and two other individuals or entities, over what they described as serious violations of religious freedom, including the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The proposed legislation, named the *Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026*, was introduced by Chris Smith, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga. If passed, it would mandate the U.S. Secretary of State to provide regular reports to Congress on Nigeria’s adherence to international religious freedom commitments and the steps being taken to protect vulnerable groups.
The bill would also require U.S. authorities to weigh targeted sanctions, humanitarian support, and security cooperation measures aimed at ending impunity for perpetrators of religious violence and improving protections for communities affected by such attacks.
In supporting the proposal, the lawmakers referenced estimates suggesting that between 50,000 and 125,000 Christians were killed between 2009 and 2025, with more than 19,000 churches reportedly destroyed. They also pointed to incidents including attacks in Yelwata, the Christmas Eve killings of 2023 and 2024, and Holy Week and Easter attacks in 2024 and 2025, which they said claimed more than 9,500 lives — mostly Christians — and displaced over half a million people. They added that Open Doors’ 2026 Watch List reports Nigeria accounts for 72 per cent of Christians killed globally.
The sponsors also highlighted individual cases such as Rhoda Jatau and Deborah Yakubu, noting that both faced mob violence, imprisonment, or death over alleged blasphemy, while those responsible were rarely brought to justice.
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They said U.S. President Donald Trump “acted justly” by redesignating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), arguing that the Nigerian government has historically failed to adequately prevent or respond to religiously motivated violence and has tolerated impunity by extremist actors.
Under the bill, the Secretary of State would also determine whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria qualify for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, while the Departments of State and Treasury would be expected to impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on individuals or entities responsible for severe religious freedom violations.
The bill partly reads, “The United States should deliver humanitarian assistance, co-funded by the Government of Nigeria, through trusted civil society organisations, including faith-based organisations, 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.”
The legislation also proposes US humanitarian assistance, co-funded by the Nigerian government, through trusted civil society and faith-based organisations in the Middle Belt, and calls for collaboration with international partners such as France, Hungary and the United Kingdom to promote religious freedom and peace.
Lawmakers added that future US–Nigeria relations would depend on the Nigerian government’s response to the alleged atrocities, noting that Nigeria could play a stabilising role in the Sahel and strengthen ties with Washington if it takes concrete steps to combat persecution and protect vulnerable communities.
