The United States has announced a fresh round of visa restrictions targeting Nigerians accused of undermining religious freedom. In a post on X, Marco Rubio, secretary of state, described the move as part of a broader push to confront rising intolerance across the globe.
He said, “the restrictions will apply to individuals who knowingly direct, authorize, fund, support, or carry out violations of religious freedom.”
He explained that the new policy covers Nigeria as well as other governments or individuals implicated in the persecution of people on account of their faith.
Rubio said the measure represents a decisive response by the United States to what he called “atrocities and violence against Christians in Nigeria and in several countries where faith based communities face persistent threats.”
His comments came barely a day after members of the United States Congress convened a high level roundtable in Washington, bringing together religious freedom advocates and foreign policy experts to interrogate the surge in violence and what lawmakers described as the targeted persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
The roundtable formed part of investigations ordered under President Donald Trump’s directive.
Only 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 entities deemed responsible for serious violations of religious freedom in Nigeria. Smith, who also participated in Tuesday’s discussions, listed the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as entities implicated in the crisis.
He further recommended that Fulani Ethnic Militias operating in Benue, Plateau and Taraba be placed on the Entities of Particular Concern (EPC) list under the International Religious Freedom Act.
Responding to the development, MACBAN urged the United States Congress to withdraw the visa ban recommendation, insisting that the resolution conflates criminal gangs that operate independently with law abiding pastoralists who themselves are victims of Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
