Is another level of diplomatic storm brewing between Washington and Abuja? The United States Congress has introduced a bill seeking to impose targeted sanctions on the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore for alleged “severe violations of religious freedom” against Christians.
The bill proposes visa bans and asset freezes on individuals tied to the groups, placing them under the same international spotlight as entities accused of orchestrating religious persecution in conflict zones.
Representative Christopher Smith, who sponsored the bill, hailed former US President Donald Trump for re-designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. The CPC label is reserved for nations found complicit in or tolerant of systematic religious repression.
But in Abuja, calm words met the tension. Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government is “not in panic mode” and has opened diplomatic channels with Washington.
“Government is committed to ensuring Nigeria is safe for everyone, regardless of faith or ethnicity,” he told journalists after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting.
US Bill Escalates Tensions, Adds Fulani Militias to Watchlist
The congressional bill goes beyond Miyetti Allah. It adds “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau States to the Entities of Particular Concern (EPC) list, joining terror groups like Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, and the Taliban.
Senator Ted Cruz backed the effort, vowing to hold Nigerian officials accountable for alleged Christian persecution.
He had earlier sponsored the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, which sought sanctions against public officials who “promoted or enforced blasphemy laws.”
Supporters of the US bills say the move is long overdue — a global response to “unchecked religious violence” in Nigeria’s north and middle belt. Critics, however, accuse Washington of “simplifying Nigeria’s complex security crisis into a religious narrative.”
Could this become the most serious diplomatic standoff between Nigeria and the US since 1999?Tinubu Reacts, Says Nigeria Will Defeat Terrorism
President Bola Tinubu, in an apparent response to Trump’s warnings of possible “guns-a-blazing” intervention, said Nigeria remains sovereign and determined to defeat terrorism.
“Despite political headwinds and fear, we will continue to engage our partners. The task ahead is immense, but we will move forward with unity and purpose,” Tinubu said during an economic briefing by Finance Minister Wale Edun.
He reaffirmed that Nigeria’s reforms are restoring investor confidence and promised to deepen cooperation against insurgency. “We will defeat terrorism in this country,” he vowed.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the US military has drawn up operational plans for possible airstrikes in Nigeria, following Trump’s directive to “prepare to intervene” if killings of Christians persist.
US Mulls Airstrike Scenarios
According to the report, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) submitted three potential strategies — “heavy,” “medium,” and “light.”
The heavy option would deploy an aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf of Guinea. The medium plan proposes drone strikes using MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator systems on insurgent camps. The light plan focuses on intelligence sharing and coordinated counterterrorism with Nigerian forces.
Senior Pentagon officials reportedly admitted that no limited strike would end Nigeria’s insurgency without a full-scale campaign — a step Washington may not be ready to take.
This rare US military consideration in West Africa reflects growing unease over human rights and security trends in Nigeria.
President Tinubu rejected all assertions that Nigeria is hostile toward Christians. “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” he said in a statement.
He stressed that “religious freedom and tolerance have always been the core of our national identity.” Since 2023, he said, his administration has maintained “active engagement with both Christian and Muslim leaders.”
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