US IMPOSES NEW VISA RESTRICTIONS ON NIGERIANS ACCUSED OF UNDERMINING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

The United States has introduced fresh visa restrictions on Nigerians accused of violating or suppressing religious freedom, a move officials say is part of broader efforts to respond to rising global attacks on religious minorities.

The announcement was made in a post on X by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the policy targets individuals who “knowingly direct, authorize, fund, support, or carry out violations of religious freedom.” The restrictions apply to Nigeria and other countries where governments or private actors are implicated in religious persecution.

Rubio said the decision forms part of Washington’s response to what he described as “atrocities and violence against Christians” in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

The development comes a day after US lawmakers held a high-level roundtable in Washington, where religious freedom advocates and foreign policy experts examined Nigeria’s worsening violence and the alleged “targeted persecution” of Christians. The session was convened under directives from President Donald Trump as part of ongoing investigations.

Last month, Chris Smith, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, introduced a resolution calling for visa bans and asset freezes on individuals and groups responsible for severe violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.

In the resolution, Smith named the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore among the entities linked to rights violations. He also recommended designating “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” in Benue and Plateau states as Entities of Particular Concern (EPC) under the US International Religious Freedom Act.

MACBAN has since urged the US Congress to withdraw the recommendation, arguing that the resolution fails to distinguish between violent criminal groups and peaceful pastoralists who, they said, are also victims of Nigeria’s spiralling insecurity.

During Tuesday’s roundtable, Smith escalated his criticism, accusing the Nigerian government of complicity in what he described as “religious persecution.”

The Nigerian government has not yet issued an official response to the latest US visa restrictions.