US lawmakers push for sanctions on Nigerian officials over alleged religious persecution

 

The United States House of Representatives has introduced a bill aimed at holding Nigerian government officials accountable for alleged violations of religious freedom and human rights in the country.

The bill, titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, was sponsored by Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman of Indiana’s 3rd District and formally introduced on October 21, 2025.

According to information published on the U.S. Congress website, the bill has been forwarded to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary for review. Each committee will examine the bill—filed as H.R. 5808 in the 119th Congress—within its jurisdiction before it is presented on the House floor.

In Section 2(a), the proposed legislation directs the President to apply sanctions outlined in Executive Order 13818, which targets individuals involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption, to persons named in the report mandated under subsection (b).

Under Subsection (b)(1), the U.S. Secretary of State is required to submit to Congress, within 90 days of enactment and annually thereafter, a comprehensive report identifying Nigerian officials implicated in promoting or tolerating religious persecution.

The report will focus on federal officials or state governors who have supported, enacted, or maintained Nigeria’s blasphemy laws—whether through public advocacy, legislation, or executive directives—and those who tolerated violence carried out by non-state actors using religious justification, including groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations or specially designated global terrorists.

The scope extends to judges, magistrates, prison authorities, and other judicial or law enforcement personnel involved in enforcing blasphemy laws through prosecution, conviction, imprisonment, or other forms of deprivation of liberty.

The reporting period covers the 10 years preceding the enactment of the bill and continues annually, ensuring that both historical and ongoing violations are examined.

The legislation also reinforces Nigeria’s recent redesignation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under U.S. law—an action that opens the door to potential sanctions for severe violations of religious freedom. It further identifies Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa as Entities of Particular Concern (EPC).

If passed, the bill would require the U.S. government to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials and entities accused of enabling or ignoring acts of religious persecution or violence justified by religious motivations.