United States lawmakers have launched contemporary laws aimed toward confronting spiritual persecution in Nigeria, with a powerful emphasis on holding the Nigerian authorities accountable for shielding weak communities, notably Christians.
The proposed invoice, titled the Nigeria Non secular Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 (HR 7457), was unveiled on Tuesday, in keeping with a press launch issued by Riley Moore, Congressman on his official web site.
The laws is sponsored by. Moore (R-West Virginia) and Chris Smith (R-New Jersey), Chairman of the Home Overseas Affairs Subcommittee on Africa.
It has drawn vital backing from senior Republican lawmakers, together with Home Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), Home Overseas Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-Florida), Appropriations Subcommittee on Nationwide Safety and Associated Packages Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Florida), and Overseas Affairs Subcommittee on South and East Asia Chairman Invoice Huizenga (R-Michigan).
If handed, the invoice would mandate the U.S. Secretary of State to submit a complete report back to Congress detailing efforts to handle spiritual violence and mass atrocities in Nigeria.
The report would assess Nigeria’s compliance with worldwide spiritual freedom requirements, the therapy of internally displaced individuals (IDPs), enforcement of blasphemy legal guidelines, the effectiveness of safety help, and actions taken to prosecute perpetrators and dismantle extremist networks.
Moore mentioned he had witnessed the scenario firsthand throughout a current go to to Nigeria.
“For years, Christians in Nigeria have confronted unspeakable violence, church buildings burned, villages destroyed, households slaughtered, whereas the worldwide group seemed away,” Moore acknowledged.
He defined that as a part of an investigation requested by President Donald Trump, he traveled to Nigeria to evaluate the scenario straight.
“I visited Nigeria and witnessed firsthand the horrors our brothers and sisters in Christ face and noticed the safety challenges Nigeria faces,” Moore mentioned.
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He added that the invoice sends a transparent message that america stands with persecuted Christians and seeks to assist Nigeria confront its safety challenges.
Moore, nevertheless, acknowledged ongoing cooperation between each nations, applauding the Nigerian authorities for coordinating with the Trump administration to handle insecurity.
He mentioned he stays dedicated to strengthening U.S.-Nigeria relations to assist save lives.
On his half, Chris Smith, who has chaired 13 congressional hearings on spiritual persecution in Nigeria, argued that the disaster has worsened as a result of what he described as official denial by Nigerian authorities.
“The Nigerian authorities’s blatant denial of the spiritual persecution occurring inside its borders has solely enabled the religious-based violence within the nation to fester, with Christian deaths and church assaults reaching unprecedented numbers,” Smith mentioned.
Smith referenced Trump’s November 2025 redesignation of Nigeria as a “Nation of Explicit Concern” (CPC), a standing that permits the U.S. govt department to use diplomatic and financial measures.
“Now that President Trump has rightly redesignated Nigeria a ‘Nation of Explicit Concern,’ america has a accountability to do its due diligence in making certain that the Nigerian authorities is taking the right steps to handle and punish the systemic violence towards Christians and non-radical Muslims by Islamist extremists,” he mentioned.
He warned that inaction by each governments may embolden extremist teams to escalate assaults, stressing that Washington should stay steadfast in selling spiritual freedom globally.
Brian Mast, Chairman, Home Overseas Affairs Committee mentioned the “free world can’t stand by as Christians face mass murders, kidnappings and brutal assaults by the hands of terrorist thugs and armed militias in Nigeria,” urging Nigerian authorities to eradicate what he described because the scourge of spiritual persecution.
Equally, Tom Cole, Chairman, Home Appropriations Committee, framed the initiative as each an ethical and strategic precedence.
“Defending spiritual liberty in Nigeria and worldwide is each an ethical obligation and an important American curiosity. The Nigeria Non secular Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 makes it clear: spiritual persecution won’t be tolerated”, Cole mentioned.
The invoice underscores renewed congressional stress on Nigeria to reveal measurable progress in defending spiritual freedom and curbing violence linked to extremist teams.
Following Nigeria’s redesignation as a CPC in November 2025, Moore visited the nation, assembly with senior Nigerian officers and touring areas affected by terror assaults.
Discussions reportedly centered on allegations of ongoing persecution of Christians, broader terrorist threats, and alternatives for deeper U.S.-Nigeria cooperation to finish the violence.
Moore burdened that america stands able to coordinate and cooperate with Nigeria however won’t tolerate continued violence towards Christians or different types of spiritual persecution.
He additionally famous that President Trump “doesn’t make idle threats,” signaling Washington’s willingness to use diplomatic instruments if mandatory.
The U.S. indicated that Moore would proceed monitoring developments and urgent the Nigerian authorities to simply accept what he described as an open hand of cooperation to fight extremist threats and defend all spiritual communities.
