Five Republican lawmakers in the United States House of Representatives have introduced legislation that, if passed, would authorize visa bans and freezes on foreign assets against Nigerian individuals and groups, including former Kano State governor Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Fulani-ethnic organisations such as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
The proposed measure, titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 (H.R. 7457), was formally tabled in the U.S. House of Representatives last week by Representative Riley Moore (R-West Virginia), with co-sponsors including Rep. Chris Smith (R-New Jersey), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, as well as Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart and Bill Huizenga.
According to the text of the bill and supporting statements from sponsors, the legislation responds to what the lawmakers describe as “religious persecution and mass atrocities” committed in Nigeria, particularly against Christian communities in the central and northern regions of the country.
Under the provisions of the bill, the U.S. Secretary of State would be required to produce an annual comprehensive report to Congress on Nigeria’s compliance with international religious freedom obligations and actions taken to protect vulnerable communities.
The bill also directs both the State and Treasury Departments to consider imposing sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, a U.S. law that authorizes targeted visa bans and asset freezes on individuals and entities found to be responsible for severe human rights violations.
Specifically, sponsors cite estimates that between 50,000 and 125,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria between 2009 and 2025, with more than 19,000 churches destroyed during that period. The bill references high-profile incidents such as attacks on communities in Yelwata, the Christmas Eve massacres of 2023 and 2024, and subsequent violence during Holy Week and Easter in 2024 and 2025 which, lawmakers say, left thousands dead and half a million others displaced.
“The Department of State and the Department of the Treasury should impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes…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; (C) Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and (D) Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore,” the legislation states.
The bill is backed by advocacy groups such as the End the Genocide Against Nigerian Christians Coalition, convened by the Save Nigeria Group in the United States, which has urged swift passage of H.R. 7457. Supporters argue that such sanctions would end impunity and “protect the vulnerable” by conditioning U.S. security assistance on measurable progress from the Nigerian government in curbing religious violence.
Lawmakers also call for expanded humanitarian aid, to be co-funded by the Nigerian government and delivered through trusted civil-society organisations, particularly in the volatile Middle Belt states.
Sponsors of the legislation maintain that recent actions from the U.S. administration, including the redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over religious freedom violations, reinforce the urgency of the bill. In November 2025, the United States took that step, a designation that allows for diplomatic and economic measures, and authorised coordinated strikes with the Nigerian government against suspected militants on Christmas Day 2025.
The bill’s introduction has drawn sharp criticism from political allies of Senator Kwankwaso. The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and its affiliated Kwankwassiya movement dismissed the proposed sanctions as unfair and politically motivated. In a statement, the NNPP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, described the allegations as “contrived and unfair,” insisting that the party’s leader bears no responsibility for religious extremism.
Similarly, the Kwankwassiya movement, through spokesman Mansur Kurugu, said the development was met with “shock” and noted that the group was still reviewing the implications of the proposed sanctions.
Critics within Nigeria’s political establishment have argued that any punitive action must respect due process and be rooted in verified evidence rather than broad allegations. Some opposition parties, including segments of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have voiced concern that the sanctions target a prominent political figure without giving him an opportunity to answer specific charges.
The bill signals a potentially significant shift in how the United States addresses human rights and religious freedom concerns in Nigeria. If enacted, it could heighten diplomatic strains and compel the Nigerian government to engage more directly with American lawmakers on issues of security, religious freedom, and governance.
Supporters of the legislation contend that Nigeria, as a key regional power in West Africa, could strengthen ties with Washington if it takes “concrete steps to combat persecution and protect vulnerable communities.”
