US lawmakers seek visa bans, asset freezes for Kwankwaso, three others

By Uzair Adam

Five members of the United States Congress have introduced a bill requiring the US Secretary of State to submit a comprehensive report on efforts to address ongoing religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.

If passed into law, the proposed legislation would mandate the Departments of State and Treasury to impose sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, on individuals or entities found responsible for severe violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.

Among those named in the bill for possible sanctions are a former Kano State Governor and national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; 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 in the US House of Representatives.

Its sponsors include Chris Smith, Riley Moore (the bill’s author), Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga.

The lawmakers said President Donald Trump “acted justly” by redesignating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), a classification that enables the US government to apply diplomatic and economic measures.

According to the sponsors, the United States should deploy “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 bill also directs the Secretary of State to determine whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria meet the criteria for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.

Part of the proposed legislation states that the US should provide humanitarian assistance — co-funded by the Nigerian government — through trusted civil society and faith-based organisations operating in Nigeria’s Middle Belt states.

It further urges the Departments of State and Treasury to impose targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on those responsible for serious religious freedom violations or report to Congress why such measures have not been applied.

Representative Moore, who authored the bill, has consistently maintained that Christians in Nigeria face systemic persecution. He visited Nigeria in November 2025 in connection with the issue.

In November 2025, President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a move that paved the way for possible diplomatic and economic actions.

He also authorised coordinated strikes with the Nigerian government against suspected militants on Christmas Day 2025.