The United States Congress has proposed visa bans and asset freezes against former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, and other Fulani groups as part of broader sanctions aimed at pressuring the Nigerian government to address alleged persecution of Christians.
The proposed legislation, titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, was introduced on Tuesday by Chris Smith, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, and Representative Riley Moore.
According to the bill, the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury would be required to impose targeted sanctions — including visa bans and asset freezes under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act — on individuals and entities found responsible for severe violations of religious freedom.
The bill specifically named “Fulani ethnic nomad militia, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano governor, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore” among alleged violators to be reviewed by the State Department.
It also cited incidents such as the Plateau killings of October 2025 and the case of Sunday Jackson, a farmer who was sentenced to death after killing a Fulani herder in what supporters described as self-defence. Jackson was later pardoned in 2025 following reported U.S. intervention.
The lawmakers further urged the State Department to investigate the activities of Fulani militias to determine whether they should be designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and to identify and hold accountable any sponsors linked to the groups.
The proposed legislation comes amid renewed tensions over religious freedom in Nigeria. U.S. President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” in 2025 over allegations of widespread violence against Christians, criticising President Bola Tinubu’s administration for what he described as insufficient protection of vulnerable communities.
In a related development, the U.S. reportedly carried out airstrikes in Sokoto on Christmas Day targeting suspected terrorist hideouts, an operation Nigeria’s First Lady, Remi Tinubu, described as “a blessing.” President Trump has also announced plans to deploy 200 U.S. soldiers to Nigeria to support counter-terrorism efforts.
The bill is expected to face debate in the House of Representatives in the coming weeks.
