A new bill before the United States Congress could see former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and some Fulani groups hit with visa bans and asset freezes over alleged violations of religious freedom. The draft law, titled Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, seeks targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
The bill, sponsored by five US lawmakers including Riley Moore, lists Kwankwaso, Fulani ethnic nomad militias, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria MACBAN and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore among those that could face punishment. It also urges the US State and Treasury Departments to either impose sanctions or explain to Congress why they have not done so.
Some sections of the proposed legislation direct the US Secretary of State to determine whether certain Fulani militias qualify to be designated as foreign terrorist organisations. If passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, the measures would trigger visa restrictions and possible asset freezes against the named individuals and entities.
The move follows earlier claims by Congressman Moore that Christians in Nigeria were facing genocide, a charge later echoed by Trump before he threatened to attack Nigeria “guns ablazing” over alleged failures to protect Christians. Moore later visited Abuja, Benue and other areas, meeting National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and other officials, and the visit reportedly softened his stance.
Despite that, the bill has now drawn sharp reactions in Nigeria. Kwankwaso’s party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, condemned the proposed sanctions as international hypocrisy and blackmail, insisting the former governor has no links to religious extremism.
NNPP National Publicity Secretary Ladipo Johnson said Kwankwaso was being unfairly singled out for actions he knew nothing about. He urged stakeholders to investigate the issues properly, arguing that the ex governor’s record shows commitment to national unity, including his role in tackling Boko Haram in Kano and his cordial relationship with Christian leaders.
The party also questioned why other governors who implemented similar systems have not been named and pointed out that the US maintains close ties with countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which operate Sharia based legal orders. It said Kwankwaso even faced backlash from predominantly Muslim voters for supporting Christian presidential candidate Olusegun Obasanjo in the past.
MACBAN president Baba Othman Ngelzarma also rejected the association’s inclusion in the bill, calling it shocking and mistaken. He described MACBAN as a peaceful, law abiding, 42 year old marketing group set up to protect cattle breeders regardless of religion or ethnicity.
Ngelzarma said the association is not an armed group, has never claimed responsibility for any attack and has never been sanctioned in Nigeria. He noted that MACBAN regularly engages with governments and security agencies and has itself suffered from insecurity, including the killing of two state chairmen by suspected bandits for helping security forces.
He disclosed that MACBAN has sent a detailed report to the US Embassy in Abuja for transmission to Congress, explaining its mandate and stressing that many of its members are victims, not sponsors, of violence. He appealed to the Federal Government to defend the association and its members against what he views as a damaging misrepresentation.
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