The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has called on the US Congress to withdraw its recommendation for targeted sanctions after lawmakers linked the group to alleged violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.
In a resolution introduced on November 4, House Representative Smith Christopher proposed visa bans and asset freezes on members of MACBAN and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
He also recommended placing “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau States on the Entities of Particular Concern (EPC) list under the International Religious Freedom Act.
At a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, MACBAN President Baba Othman Ngelzarma said the association had written to the US Congress via the American Embassy, urging lawmakers to remove its name from the list.
“We reject the misleading and incomplete assertions contained in the resolution,” Ngelzarma said. “MACBAN is a lawful socio-cultural and economic association registered by the Federal Government since 1986. We are not a militia, we are not a violent organisation.”
He stressed that the US resolution conflates criminal gangs, which operate independently, with law-abiding pastoralists who are themselves victims of Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation.
MACBAN presented a decade-long record of casualties suffered by herding communities, noting that between 2015 and 2025, 18,600 pastoralists were killed, 1.29 million displaced, 87,543 houses destroyed, over one million cattle rustled or slaughtered, and multiple MACBAN state executives were assassinated for aiding security agencies.
“These figures show a community under attack, not one perpetrating violence,” Ngelzarma said.
He also highlighted MACBAN’s efforts in societal peacebuilding through collaborations with security agencies, including the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), as well as traditional rulers and global partners such as USAID, Mercy Corps, Search for Common Ground, and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
The US Congress is scheduled to hold a hearing on President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) on Thursday.
