US Republican lawmakers propose visa ban on Kwankwaso, Miyetti Allah

Five members of the United States House of Representatives have introduced a bill seeking to require the U.S. Secretary of State to provide a detailed report on American actions aimed at addressing religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.

If passed into law, the legislation would direct the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury to impose sanctions — including visa restrictions and asset freezes — on individuals and groups found responsible for serious violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.

Those named in the bill as potential targets for sanctions include Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State and leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP); the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore; and groups broadly described as “Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria.”

The bill, introduced on Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives, is titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026.

Its sponsors are Representatives Chris Smith, Riley Moore (the lead author), Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga.

In their proposal, the lawmakers argued that the United States should deploy all available diplomatic, humanitarian, economic, and security measures to press the Nigerian government to hold perpetrators of violence accountable and to better protect Christian communities, clergy, and other vulnerable religious minorities.

The bill also calls on the Secretary of State to assess whether certain Fulani-linked militias in Nigeria should be formally designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

Additionally, it urges the U.S. government to provide humanitarian assistance to affected communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt — to be jointly funded with the Nigerian government and delivered through trusted civil society and faith-based organizations.

The proposed legislation further recommends that targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act be imposed on those responsible for severe religious freedom violations, or that the State Department explain to Congress why such sanctions were not applied. The named subjects for possible sanctions include:

Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria