United States lawmakers have introduced a new bill aimed at confronting religious persecution in Nigeria, with a focus on holding the government accountable for protecting vulnerable communities, especially Christians.
This was contained in a press release issued on Tuesday by US lawmaker Riley Moore on his official website.
The proposed legislation, titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 (HR 7457), was sponsored by US lawmakers, Reps. Moore (R-WV) and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, Chris Smith (R-NJ).
Cosponsors of the legislation include House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL), Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security and Related Programs Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), and Foreign Affairs South and East Asia Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga (R-MI).
The bill mandates the U.S. Secretary of State to submit a detailed report to Congress on efforts to address religious violence and mass atrocities in Nigeria.
Announcing the bill, Rep. Moore said he had seen the situation firsthand.
“For years, Christians in Nigeria have faced unspeakable violence, churches burned, villages destroyed, families slaughtered, while the global community looked away.
“As part of the investigation President Trump asked me to lead, I visited Nigeria and witnessed firsthand the horrors our brothers and sisters in Christ face and saw the security challenges Nigeria faces.”
Moore added that the legislation was meant to send a strong signal, “That is why I am proud to introduce the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 with Representative Chris Smith. This legislation makes clear that the United States stands with our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ and seeks to help Nigeria address its many challenges.”
He also noted cooperation with Nigeria, saying, “I applaud the Nigerian government for working in coordination and cooperation with the Trump Administration to address the security challenges throughout the country. I stand ready to continue working to deepen and strengthen our relationship with Nigeria, as we work to save Christian lives.”
Rep. Smith, who has chaired 13 congressional hearings on religious persecution in Nigeria, said denial by Nigerian authorities had worsened the crisis.
“The Nigerian government’s blatant denial of the religious persecution occurring within its borders has only enabled the religious-based violence in the country to fester, with Christian deaths and church attacks reaching unprecedented numbers,” Smith said.
Smith stressed that Washington must now act decisively.
“Now that President Trump has rightly redesignated Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ the United States has a responsibility to do its due diligence in ensuring that the Nigerian government is taking the proper steps to address and punish the systemic violence against Christians and non-radical Muslims by Islamist extremists.”
He warned that failure to act would only embolden attackers.
“Inaction on the part of both the Nigerian and U.S. governments only emboldens these radical Islamist thugs to inflict even more misery, suffering, and death,” Smith said.
He added that the U.S. must “remain steadfast in its mission to promote and protect religious freedoms throughout the globe.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast also backed the bill, stating, “The free world cannot stand by as Christians face mass murders, kidnappings and brutal assaults at the hands of terrorist thugs and armed militias in Nigeria”.
He added, saying that, “The Nigerian government must do their part to eliminate the scourge of religious persecution plaguing the country.”
Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole described the effort as both moral and strategic.
“Defending religious liberty in Nigeria and worldwide is both a moral duty and a vital American interest,” Cole said. “The Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 makes it clear: religious persecution will not be tolerated.”
If passed, the bill will require a comprehensive State Department report on Nigeria’s compliance with international religious freedom standards, treatment of internally displaced persons, enforcement of blasphemy laws, security assistance, and steps taken to prosecute perpetrators and dismantle extremist networks.
The move underscores renewed congressional pressure on Nigeria to demonstrate concrete action in protecting religious freedom and ending violence linked to extremist groups.
In November 2025, Trump designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern, a move that allows the US executive branch to apply diplomatic and economic measures.
Not long after that, Moore visited Nigeria, where he met with a delegation of senior members of the Nigerian government and visited the places with the most terror attacks.
The meeting, amongst others, focused on the alleged ongoing persecution of Christians and ongoing terrorist threats in Nigeria and opportunities for strengthened cooperation and coordination between the United States and Nigeria to end the bloodshed.
Moore stressed that the United States stands ready to coordinate and cooperate with Nigeria as it will not tolerate continued violence against Christians or other forms of religious persecution.
He added that US President Donald Trump does not make idle threats.
The US noted that Moore will continue monitoring new developments and pushing the Nigerian government to accept the open hand of cooperation to stop the ongoing persecution and violence against Christians and combat the threat terrorist groups pose to the Nigerian population.
