US Congress Mulls Visa Ban, Asset Freeze Against Nigerian Miyetti Allah Members

A bill seeking to impose visa restrictions and asset freezes on members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, has been introduced before the United States Congress.

The proposed law, presented on Tuesday by Congressman Christopher Smith, targeted individuals and groups alleged to be “responsible for or complicit in severe violations of religious freedom” under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).

The move came amid mounting US concerns over what it described as the systematic persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria.

Congressman Smith commended US President Donald Trump for re-designating Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC), citing “ongoing reports of attacks on Christian communities” in parts of Benue and Plateau States.

“This bill seeks to hold accountable those who enable or commit grave abuses against religious minorities,” Smith said, adding that the US must not remain silent in the face of “systematic persecution and violence.”

The legislation listed “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in central Nigeria among Entities of Particular Concern (EPCs), a category reserved for non-state actors accused of serious violations of religious liberty. Other EPCs under the same US designation include Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, ISIS-Sahel, the Taliban, and the Houthis.

If passed, the bill would empower US authorities to impose visa bans and freeze financial assets of individuals and organisations linked to the named entities.

The development followed Trump’s earlier directive to Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Committee Chairman, Tom Cole, to investigate alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria and submit a report.

“You have always been a champion for Christians around the world,” Moore said in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging “immediate action to address the systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians in Nigeria.”

Last Friday, Trump declared Nigeria a country of particular concern and instructed the US Department of War to prepare for potential action terrorists, a move that drew sharp criticism from Abuja.

The Federal Government swiftly rejected the allegations, insisting that the country’s constitution guarantees freedom of worship. However, US officials dismissed the response as inadequate, citing reports of ongoing religiously motivated attacks.

The proposed legislation had added to the growing list of congressional actions targeting Nigeria’s human rights record. In September, Republican Senator Ted Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 (S.2747), co-sponsored by five other Senators including Ted Budd. The bill seeks to reinstate Nigeria’s CPC status and sanction officials deemed complicit in religious violence.

The lawmakers claimed that over 52,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, with more than 20,000 churches and Christian institutions destroyed or attacked.

If enacted, the new law will require the US State Department to submit annual human rights reports on Nigeria and recommend visa bans or financial sanctions where violations persist.