The United States Congress has moved to impose personal sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, on former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and leaders of Fulani socio-cultural associations over alleged involvement in religious freedom violations in Nigeria.
The Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, introduced on Tuesday by US Congressman Rep. Riley Moore (R‑West Virginia) and co-sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R‑New Jersey), specifically names Kwankwaso, Fulani-ethnic nomad militias, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as targets of the proposed measures.
Moore announced the bill via X, stating, “The US is a Christian nation. As such, we must stand with persecuted Christians around the world.”
The legislation directs the US Secretary of State to assess whether certain Fulani militia groups should be designated as foreign terrorist organisations under US law.
It also mandates that humanitarian aid to Nigeria’s Middle Belt be channelled through faith-based and non-governmental organisations.
Part of the bill read, “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 religious freedom violations.”
Moore said the bill builds on the momentum of former President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for severe religious freedom violations, as well as a recent US–Nigeria security framework agreement.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected the characterisation of its security crises as religious persecution, insisting that the violence in the Middle Belt and northern regions is multifaceted and not a religious war.
In December 2025, the United States carried out airstrikes against Islamic State-linked militants in northwest Nigeria in coordination with Abuja, part of broader counter-terrorism cooperation that has also seen expanded US training and military supplies for Nigerian forces.
Discussion about this post