Five United States lawmakers have introduced a bill in the House of Representatives seeking to mandate a comprehensive review of US efforts to address alleged religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.

Those named in the bill for potential sanctions include Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); Fulani ethnic nomadic militias; the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.

If enacted, the proposed legislation would empower the Departments of State and Treasury to impose targeted sanctions — including visa bans and asset freezes — on individuals or entities identified as responsible for severe violations of religious freedom in the country.

The bill was introduced on Tuesday by Representatives Chris Smith, Riley Moore (the bill’s author), Brian Mast, Mario Díaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga.

Titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, the legislation builds on recent US actions on religious freedom in Nigeria.

The lawmakers argued that the United States should deploy “all available diplomatic, humanitarian, economic, and security tools” to pressure the Nigerian government to end what they describe as impunity for perpetrators of religious violence and mass atrocities, while protecting Christian communities, clergy and other targeted religious minorities.

Under the bill’s provisions, the Secretary of State would also be required to assess whether certain Fulani ethnic militias operating in Nigeria meet the statutory threshold for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).

“The United States should deliver humanitarian assistance, co-funded by the Government of Nigeria, through trusted civil society organisations, including faith-based groups, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt states,” the bill states.

It further directs the Departments of State and Treasury to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act — or submit a formal explanation to Congress where sanctions are not imposed — against the following:

• Fulani ethnic nomadic militias in Nigeria;

• Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State;

• Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and

• Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.

Representative Riley Moore has been one of the most vocal proponents of claims of systemic persecution of Christians in Nigeria. He visited the country in November 2025 as part of a fact-finding mission on religious violence.

In November 2025, Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a move that authorises the US executive branch to apply a range of diplomatic and economic measures. The Trump administration later approved coordinated military strikes with the Nigerian government against suspected militant targets on Christmas Day 2025.