UNITED States lawmakers have called for sweeping punitive measures against individuals and organisations in Nigeria including the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore over alleged involvement in widespread religious persecution and human-rights abuses.
The call is contained in a resolution introduced before the US House of Representatives on Wednesday sighted by News Point Nigeria on the Congress official website.
The motion, filed as H. Res. 860 in the ongoing 119th Congress, was sponsored by Representative Christopher Smith, with Representative Paul Huizenga as co-sponsor.
The lawmakers urged the US Departments of State and Treasury to impose targeted sanctions, including military action, visa bans and asset freezes, under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, on any Nigerian actors found complicit in religious-based violence.
The development comes days after US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), a classification reserved for nations accused of the most egregious violations of religious rights, while also threatening military action if killings attributed to religious tensions persist.
The resolution commended Trump’s stance, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to adequately protect Christian communities and moderate Muslims targeted in violent attacks by extremist groups.
The document referenced several findings from media reports, NGO data, and testimonies by clergy including Father Remigius Iyhula and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who told the US Congress in March that targeted killings in parts of Benue State had gone unchecked.
It alleges: large-scale killings of civilians, mass abductions, destruction of churches and other places of worship, intimidation of religious leaders and widespread displacement caused by extremist violence.
“For over a decade, terror organisations have carried out mass murder, rape, kidnappings, and other atrocities targeting mostly Nigerian Christians and non-Fulani moderate Muslim populations,” the resolution states.
The sponsors further accused government agencies of “complicity through inaction,” citing what they described as recurring patterns of impunity.
The lawmakers recommended that future US foreign assistance to Nigeria be conditioned on verifiable improvements in human-rights protection and accountability mechanisms.
If approved, the measure could provide congressional backing for Trump’s CPC designation and pave the way for further sanctions or legislative actions.
The bill has been forwarded to the House Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees for further legislative review.
Reacting, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the US accusations as misrepresentation of the nation’s complex security challenges.
“Nigeria faces long-standing insecurity that affects both Christians and Muslims. Any narrative suggesting religious persecution is based on wrong information,” Idris said.
The minister insisted that the government remains committed to protecting all citizens regardless of faith and urged Washington to seek more credible intelligence on the situation.