United States lawmakers have introduced a bill seeking sanctions including visa bans and asset freezes against former Kano State governor and national leader of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as well as Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, and others.

The proposed legislation, titled ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026’, was presented on Tuesday at the US House of Representatives.

Sponsored by Congressmen Chris Smith, Riley Moore (bill author), Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga, the bill seeks to compel the US Secretary of State to submit a “comprehensive report on US efforts to address the ongoing religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.”

The lawmakers also praised President Donald Trump for what they described as acting “justly” by redesignating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).

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.”

Under the bill’s provisions, the Secretary of State would also be required to determine whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria qualify as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.

The legislation further states:
“The United States should deliver humanitarian assistance, co-funded by the Government of Nigeria, through trusted civil society organizations, including faith-based organizations, in Nigeria’s middle belt states.”

In addition, the bill calls on the US Department of State and the Department of the Treasury to impose targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on individuals or entities responsible for severe religious freedom violations.

Those specifically listed include:
•  Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria;
•  Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor;
•  Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and
•  Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.”

Speaking publicly, Riley Moore alleged that Christians are systematically facing persecution in Nigeria.

However, the Federal Government has consistently rejected such claims, insisting that both Christians and Muslims have suffered violence, particularly terrorism, in various parts of the country.

If you’d like, James, I can also tailor this into a sharper investigative headline or a more diplomatically neutral version depending on your publication’s editorial stance.