The Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 has been introduced by Rep. Riley Moore, the congressman from West Virginia’s 2nd district.
According to The Guardian, the law will guarantee that the United States, as a Christian country, supports persecuted Christians worldwide, particularly in Nigeria, where hundreds of Christians have lately been slain and thousands have been displaced.
Moore stated in a post on X that “our legislation will build upon the momentum of the recent US-Nigeria security framework agreement and President Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.”
Co-sponsored by Republican Representatives Chris Smith of New Jersey and Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the bill would mandate that the Secretary of State submit an annual report to the House and Senate foreign affairs committees detailing the United States’ efforts to combat Christian persecution.
According to information obtained, the bill will also examine sanctioned persons, determine if U.S. support in Nigeria promotes Christian persecution, and consider designating the Fulani ethnic militias as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
The bill claims that since at least 2009, Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militant groups, and other extremist organizations have been responsible for mass killings, kidnappings, rapes, village destruction, and forced relocation of people in Nigeria.
Between 2009 and 2025, an estimated 50,000 to 125,000 Christians were martyred, and over 19,000 Christian churches were damaged or attacked.
According to section 212(a)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria, including networks of armed groups that launch coordinated attacks on civilian areas, have committed numerous violent crimes that qualify as terrorist activity.U.S.C. 171182(a)(3).
Targeted murders, hostage-taking, hijackings, armed attacks, massacres of civilians, property devastation, and forced relocation of the local populace are all examples of the attacks carried out by these militias.
Fulani ethnic militias killed over 9,500 people, mostly Christians, and displaced over half a million others during major massacres in Benue and Plateau States between May 2023 and May 2025. These massacres included attacks in Umogidi, Mgban, and Yelwata, as well as the Christmas Eve massacres in 2023 and 2024 and the Holy Week and Easter attacks in 2024 and 2025.
The bill noted that these militias’ actions have the potential to be classified as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189)13(7) because they aim to intimidate, coerce, and displace civilian populations, disrupt local governance, and assert control over territory.
It claimed that the growth of these militias jeopardizes religious freedom rights, destabilizes a strategically significant region, and worsens the danger environment facing West Africa, all of which are detrimental to the national security and foreign policy objectives of the United States.
Over 250 religious leaders have been attacked or assassinated in the last ten years, including Father Sylvester Okechukwu in 2025. Christian clergy and imams in Nigeria who have promoted tolerance have been abducted, tortured, or slain. According to the bill, Christian leaders who testified before Congress in March 2025 and November 2025, including Father Remigius Iyhula and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, have been subjected to harassment and intimidation because of their testimony about the ongoing persecution they endure.
The law is being introduced in the midst of rumors that the United States may deploy 200 troops to help Nigeria combat terrorism.
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