The United States has imposed new visa restrictions on Nigerians accused of violating religious freedom, marking a significant escalation in Washington’s confrontational stance toward Abuja over spiralling sectarian violence.
The announcement, posted on X by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, targets individuals who “direct, authorize, fund, support, or carry out violations of religious freedom.” The move signals the Trump administration’s determination to hold Nigerian actors accountable amid heightened scrutiny of attacks against Christian communities.
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The visa ban comes as US lawmakers intensify a sweeping investigation into what they describe as “systematic, escalating assaults” on Christians in Nigeria, an allegation Nigerian officials have consistently rejected.
At a joint briefing of the House Appropriations and Foreign Affairs Committees, top US lawmakers flatly dismissed Abuja’s long-standing position that the killings are driven by criminality and communal disputes rather than religion.
The hearing is part of a wider probe ordered by President Donald Trump, who appointed Reps. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) to deliver a detailed report on massacres of Christians and potential US responses.
Presiding over the session, Mario Díaz-Balart, Vice Chair of House Appropriations, described the level of violence as “unacceptable and worsening,” warning that the US will no longer tolerate what it sees as Nigeria’s inadequate response.Nigerian job market
He hinted that the final report to the White House could recommend sanctions or more forceful interventions against Islamist groups responsible for mass killings.