Five United States lawmakers have introduced a bill seeking to impose visa restrictions and freeze assets belonging to the former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and two others over severe violations of religious freedom, including the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
But the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) said it received, with shock, reports that U.S. Congressmen were considering a bill that would impose visa bans and asset freezes on its national leader, Kwankwaso.
This was as the U.S. proposed a bill to counteract Chinese mining operations in Nigeria as part of measures to tackle religious freedom violations and extremism by terrorist groups.
Also, the End the Genocide Against Nigerian Christians Coalition, convened by Save Nigeria Group U.S.A., issued a statement in strong support of H.R. 7457 –the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026.
Introduced by Riley Moore (R-WV) and Christopher Smith (R-NJ), H.R. 7457 represents a critical step towards confronting the escalating persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria.
The proposed legislation by the five lawmakers, entitled ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026’, was introduced by Chris Smith, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart and Bill Huizenga. It would require the Secretary of State to submit periodic assessments to Congress detailing Nigeria’s compliance with international religious freedom obligations and actions taken to protect vulnerable communities.
If enacted, the measure would also compel U.S. authorities to consider targeted sanctions, humanitarian assistance, and security cooperation frameworks aimed at ending impunity for perpetrators of religious violence and strengthening protections for affected populations.
The lawmakers cited estimates that between 50,000 and 125,000 Christians were killed between 2009 and 2025, with more than 19,000 churches destroyed. They also referenced attacks in Yelwata, the Christmas Eve massacres of 2023 and 2024, and the Holy Week and Easter attacks of 2024 and 2025, which they said left more than 9,500 people, mostly Christians, dead and displaced over half a million others.
According to Open Doors’ 2026 Watch List, Nigeria accounts for 72 per cent of Christians killed worldwide.
The sponsors further highlighted cases such as Rhoda Jatau and Deborah Yakubu, who suffered mob violence, imprisonment or death over alleged blasphemy, while perpetrators were rarely punished.
They said U.S. President Donald Trump “acted justly” by redesignating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), arguing that the Nigerian government historically failed to adequately prevent or respond to religiously motivated violence and 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 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; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore,” they said.
The legislation also proposes U.S. 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 U.S.–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.
Responding to the reports, the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, dismissed any suggestion that Kwankwaso had been responsible, in any way, for religious freedom violations.
The party said it was curious and regrettable that Kwankwaso would be cited for issues he knew nothing about.
“We see this development as a contrived action against an innocent man who clearly has no relationship with religious fundamentalism in Nigeria. His record is in the public domain, both in public office and in private life, and it is advisable for people to investigate such matters properly before reaching such conclusions,” the party said.
In an announcement via X by U.S. congressmen, Rep. Riley Moore (R-West Virginia), the proposal is contained in the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, co-sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-New Jersey).
Lawmakers identified the mining operations as a primary revenue source for violent extremism, noting the widespread practice of paying ‘protection money’ to insurgent groups to ensure operational security.
The coalition expresses deep gratitude to Moore and Smith for their principled leadership, while commending the Trump administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom for redesignating Nigeria as a CPC. “We further recognise Senate Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson for leading a 119th Congress committed to confronting religious persecution and extremist violence.
It urged all members of Congress to support the legislation in a unified, bipartisan manner. “Religious freedom is a fundamental human right that transcends party affiliation.”
According to the coalition, swift passage of H.R. 7457 will: enforce accountability, end impunity, and protect the vulnerable; Condition security assistance on measurable progress in stopping mass atrocities.
Prepared by Save Nigeria Group USA, those who signed the statement include Judd Saul, Founder and Executive Director of Equipping the Persecuted (Iowa); Dede Laugesen, President and CEO of Save the Persecuted Christians (Colorado); Mike Arnold, Founder of Africa Arise (Texas) and Dr G. Ukwuani of African Christian Fellowship, Washington, DC, Advocacy Group.
The Guardian
