The lawmaker representing West Virginia’s 2nd District in the United States Congress, Rep. Riley Moore, has introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026.

The bill will ensure that the U.S., as a Christian nation, stands with persecuted Christians around the world, especially in Nigeria, where hundreds have been killed recently, and villagers have been displaced.

In a post on X, Moore said, “Our legislation will build upon the momentum of President Trump designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and the recent US-Nigeria security framework agreement.’

The bill, co-sponsored by New Jersey Republican Rep. Chris Smith and Oklahoma Republican Rep. Tom Cole, will require the Secretary of State to provide the House and Senate foreign affairs committees with an annual report on U.S. efforts to address Christian persecution.

It was gathered that the bill will also consider designating the Fulani ethnic militias a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, take a look at sanctioned individuals and weigh whether U.S. assistance in Nigeria encourages Christian persecution.

According to the bill, systemic religious persecution has persisted in Nigeria since at least 2009, including mass murder, kidnappings, rape, village destruction, and forced displacement of persons, perpetrated by Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militant groups, and other extremist organisations.

It estimates that between 50,000 and 125,000 Christians have been martyred between 2009 and 2025, with more than 19,000 Christian churches attacked or destroyed.

“Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria—including networks of armed groups engaged in organised attacks on civilian communities—have carried out repeated acts of violence that meet the statutory definition of terrorist activity under section 212(a)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.ct (8 U.S.C.171182(a)(3)).

“These militias have conducted attacks involving targeted killings, hostage-taking, hijackings, 20 armed assaults, massacres of civilians, destruction of property, and forced displacement of local population. Between May 2023 and May 2025, Fulani ethnic militias carried out major massacres in Benue on February 6, 2026 and Plateau States—including attacks in Umogidi, Mgban, Yelwata, the Christmas Eve massacres of 2023 and 2024, and the Holy Week and Easter attacks of 2024 and 2025—killing more than 9,500 people, mostly Christians, and displacing over half a5million others.

“The acts carried out by these militias are intended to intimidate, coerce, and displace civilian populations, disrupt local governance, and assert control over territory—actions that meet the criteria for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189)13(7),” the bill pointed out.

It said the expansion of these militias undermines United States national security and foreign policy interests, destabilises a strategically important region, jeopardises religious freedom rights, and exacerbates the threat environment facing West Africa.

“Nigerian Christian clergy and imams who have advocated for tolerance have been kidnapped,20tortured, or murdered, with more than 250 religious leaders attacked or killed in the past decade, including Father Sylvester Okechukwu in 2025. Christian leaders such as Father RemigiusIyhula and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, who testified February 6, 2026 before Congress in March 2025 and November 2025, have faced intimidation and harassment as a direct result of their testimony regarding the sustained persecution they face,” the bill said.

The bill is coming amid reports that the U.S will send 200 troops to assist Nigeria in its fight against terrorism. (The Guardian)

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