The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have rejected the proposed visa bans and asset freezes recommended by US lawmakers against ex-Kano State Governor Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore over violations of religious freedoms in Nigeria.
Rep. Chris Smith introduced the bill, named ‘The Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026,’ in the US House of Representatives alongside Reps. Riley Moore, Brian Mast, and Bill Huizenga.
The law proposes travel restrictions and asset freezes under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for individuals and corporations accused of violating religious freedom.
The APC opposed the proposed sanctions, arguing that the allegations alone did not justify restricting Kwankwaso’s freedom of movement without a fair hearing and due process.
Speaking to The PUNCH on Wednesday, APC Director of Publicity Bala Ibrahim characterized the United States as a beacon of democracy and warned its government against acting simply on allegations.
He stated, “I think they (the United States of America) cannot just act on allegations. America is the beacon of democracy. America is the beacon of freedom, and it ought to be seen to be behaving in that manner.
“Now, whatever the allegation against former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and others is, it remains an allegation until it is proven.
“They cannot, on the strength of an allegation alone, go ahead to suggest a ban or restriction on the freedom of movement of an individual without substantiating it, without subjecting him to a fair hearing and trial.
“So I think that is a wrong move. It infringes on his right to a fair hearing, and I don’t support that.”
The NNPP, on the other hand, referred to the impending censure of its national leader as blackmail.
At a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the opposition party expressed shock at Kwankwaso’s inclusion on the proposed sanctions list, dismissing any allegations that he was responsible for religious freedom abuses.
Ladipo Johnson, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, declared, “We see this development as a contrived action against an innocent man who clearly has no relationship with religious fundamentalism in Nigeria.”
“His record is there in the public domain, either in public office or in private life, and it is advisable for people to investigate such things properly before reaching such conclusions.”
Johnson mentioned that months before the latest development, Kwankwaso had reacted to the decision by US President Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged persecution of Christians.
He said, “The months before the latest development, Kwankwaso had openly reacted when President Donald Trump re-designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious persecution.
“In a statement posted on his X handle at the time, Kwankwaso cautioned against what he described as oversimplified characterizations of Nigeria’s internal challenges.
“Kwankwaso stated that it was important to emphasize that our country is a sovereign nation whose people face different threats from outlaws across the country.”
However, in a post published on X, US politician Riley Moore wrote to Kwankwaso, “Governor, do you care to comment on your own complicity in the deaths of Christians? “You implemented Sharia law. You signed legislation that makes so-called blasphemy punishable by death.
Kano State, led by Kwankwaso, adopted the Islamic legal code, joining other northern states such as Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Yobe, Jigawa, and Borno.
Questioning the allegation, the NNPP asked, “But is this enough to accuse Kwankwaso of severe religious freedom violations? Why were the other state governors who introduced Sharia in their states not accused as well? Is Rep. Moore being fair or selective?
‘Isn’t the US in a good relationship with Qatar and Saudi Arabia (both Sharia countries)? Why is this coming just after our government apparently paid for a consultant in the US? Isn’t it strange that it is Kwankwaso, an opposition leader who has spoken out so many times about the insecurity under this administration, that the United States now seems to be turning on?”
The party also defended Kwankwaso’s record as governor, stating, “We recall that as Governor of Kano State, Senator Kwankwaso ensured that the Boko Haram sect was wiped out of the state, and his close relationships with Christian leaders in Kano and across the country attest to his credibility as a national leader and statesman.
“Even when he was pressured to introduce Sharia, he still lost his election because the predominantly Muslim voters punished him for supporting a Christian presidential candidate in the person of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Furthermore, in 2023, he ran his presidential campaign with a Christian bishop, Isaac Idahosa, as his running mate.
“These are the facts, which we think should guide the Congress and its leaders, particularly Reps. Riley Moore and Chris Smith, to do a thorough investigation on the credibility of our leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, so that justice is done to his noble name and he is cleared of such undue embarrassment,” Johnson added.
In the bill, the US Congress issued one of its strongest condemnations of religious persecution in the country, claiming that Nigeria accounts for 82% of all Christians martyred globally and warning that the scale, coordination, and impunity surrounding the violence now threaten regional stability and US foreign policy interests.
The law seeks targeted sanctions against persons and networks guilty of serious infractions, as well as their classification as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
The measure expressly asks the Secretary of State to evaluate whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias are classified as Foreign Terrorist Organizations under Section 219 of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act.
If such a designation is issued, it will have far-reaching ramifications, including criminalizing material support, broadening US law enforcement reach, and increasing international pressure on any state or business found to be assisting the groups.
Part of the bill read, “Appropriations Act, 2026, to enhance efforts, protect innocent lives; the United States should deliver humanitarian assistance, co-funded by the Government of Nigeria, through trusted faith-based and nongovernmental organizations in Nigeria’s middle belt states;
“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 severe religious freedom violations, including Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor; Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and (D) Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
“The Secretary of State should determine whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria qualify as a foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).”
According to the lawmakers, who cited a variety of sources, including the Open Doors 2024 World Watch List, between 2009 and 2025, 50,000 to 125,000 Christians were slain, with over 19,000 Christians, churches, and Christian-owned facilities attacked or destroyed.
“Systemic religious persecution has persisted in Nigeria since at least 2009,” the lawmakers wrote, listing Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Fulani-ethnic militant groups as key perpetrators.
They alleged the attacks included mass murder, kidnapping, rape, village devastation, and forced displacement of entire villages.
Violence has become cyclical and brutal throughout the Middle Belt, from Benue and Plateau states to sections of the Northeast and Northwest, according to the draft measure.
Between May 2023 and May 2025, US congressmen claimed that Fulani-ethnic militias were responsible for large atrocities in Umogidi, Mgban, and Yelwata and during the Christmas Eve attacks of 2023 and 2024, as well as the Holy Week and Easter assaults of 2024 and 2025.
According to the bill, these attacks killed more than 9,500 individuals, the majority of whom were Christians, and displaced more than 500,000 others.
“These militias have conducted targeted killings, hostage-taking, hijackings, armed assaults, and massacres of civilians. Their actions meet the statutory definition of terrorist activity,” the legislation states.
Aside from violent attacks, US lawmakers criticized Nigeria’s continued enforcement of blasphemy laws with the death sentence in 12 northern states under Sharia criminal codes.
They claimed that these regulations have been used to target Christians, minority Muslims, and dissenters.
The bill mentions Rhoda Jatau and Deborah Yakubu, who were subjected to mob violence, imprisonment, or death for supposed blasphemy, despite the fact that known perpetrators are frequently acquitted.
It also discusses the case of Sunday Jackson, a Christian farmer from Adamawa State who was sentenced to death in 2021 for murdering an armed herder in what was largely interpreted as self-defense.
Jackson was imprisoned for nearly a decade before being pardoned in December 2025 in what the law characterizes as the Nigerian government’s “show of good faith.”
Despite such rare steps, MPs said it is unclear whether any meaningful investigations have resulted in the prosecution or conviction of jihadist and militia commanders guilty of mass crimes, as well as the targeting of clerics and intimidation of witnesses.
The legislation states that over 250 religious leaders, including Christian clergy and Muslim imams, who pushed for tolerance, have been attacked or slain in the last decade.
It recounts the murder of Father Sylvester Okechukwu in 2025 and notes that Christian leaders who spoke before Congress, such as Father Remigius Iyhula and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, were intimidated and harassed as a result of their testimony.
“The message to victims and witnesses has been chilling. Tell your story, and you may pay the price,” the congressmen wrote.
They also stated that the humanitarian effect is enormous. An estimated 3.5 to 5 million Nigerians are internally displaced, with approximately 343,000 remaining refugees in the Lake Chad region.
The Act directs the United States to co-fund humanitarian aid with the Nigerian government, which will be given through credible faith-based and non-governmental organizations in Middle Belt states.
It focuses on food, shelter, trauma care, and the safe and voluntary return of displaced people to their native lands, particularly persecuted Christian groups.
Every year since 2009, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended that Nigeria be designated as a Country of Particular Concern.
US President Donald Trump classified Nigeria as a CPC in 2020 and again in October 2025, noting the severity of religiously driven violence.
Lawmakers argue that the previous administration’s withdrawal of Nigeria from the CPC list in 2021 corresponded with a significant increase in attacks.
“Designating Nigeria as a CPC enhances diplomatic tools, including sanctions, to pressure the government to halt persecution and protect vulnerable communities,” the bill states.
In a remarkable addition, the Act calls on the US government to collaborate with Nigeria to combat “hostile foreign exploitation,” including reports that Chinese illegal mining enterprises in regions of Nigeria pay protection money to Fulani militants, so increasing instability.
The Secretary of State was encouraged to support disarmament programs, counter-terrorism cooperation, and regional efforts to eradicate Foreign Terrorist Organizations that pose a direct threat to Nigeria and the world community.
If passed, the Act will require the US Secretary of State to submit a full report within 90 days of its implementation and then annually until Nigeria is no longer listed as a CPC.
Each report must include an assessment of Nigeria’s compliance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998; identification of individuals and entities sanctioned or under consideration for sanctions; details of US-Nigeria co-investments in humanitarian aid, including amounts, recipients, and measurable outcomes; an evaluation of US security assistance and whether it risks enabling persecution; and an assessment of conditions for internally displaced persons.
The Act states that “The United States stands in solidarity with Christians and all persecuted religious minorities in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders challenged its inclusion on the United States’ list of Nigerian religious freedom violators.
Baba Ngelzarma, the National President of Miyetti Allah, dismissed the claims as baseless, stressing that the organization is not a terrorist outfit.
“In the past, when this report first came out, we had a series of engagements with the American embassy, with contingents of the Congress, and the rest. So, we have reacted verbally, and we have reacted with documentation and everything. We are not a terrorist group,” Ngelzarma said.
He mentioned that the Nigerian government is fully aware of the association’s activities and its legal status.
“The Nigerian government knows much about the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association. We have never been involved in any form of terrorism. We have never taken responsibility for any form of terrorism,” he said.
Ngelzarma added that the association, which was founded 42 years ago, includes cattle breeders from many religious and ethnic backgrounds and does not protect illegal elements.
He was surprised that the group was still being tied to terrorism, despite earlier discussions with international organizations.
“We represent the peaceful herders who are doing their peaceful and legitimate business. We don’t represent any criminal in the country. So, we are still surprised that this thing, despite all this, is still going on.’’
Miyetti Allah, he claims, has consulted with a number of international organizations, including humanitarian and ecumenical groups, to clarify its position.
“We have had a series of engagements with international agencies such as the National Corps, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, the Interfaith Radiation Centre, and many other international agencies. We are never a terrorist group,” he added.
Regarding the planned visa restrictions and punishments, Ngelzarma contended that the association does not deserve such punishing measures.
“Do we even deserve to be sanctioned? We don’t deserve to be sanctioned because we are not a criminal group. We don’t even deserve to be sanctioned. So, for what reason can you sanction us?” he queried.
He urged the Nigerian government to intervene diplomatically.
“We are citizens of Nigeria; we are under the Nigerian government. This association is under the Nigerian law, and this association has been issued a registration to operate legally. So, we deserve to be protected by our own government here at home. Whatever that should be with the Americans should be with the Nigerian government,” he said.
Ngelzarma called on the Federal Government to engage the US government to address what he described as “misconceptions surrounding the security crisis in Nigeria.”
