The United States Department of State on Wednesday unveiled measures aimed at tackling what it described as widespread killings and attacks targeting Christians in Nigeria.
The initiative indicates that Washington may impose visa restrictions on individuals and groups linked to the violence.
“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and attacks on Christians carried out by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani militias, and other violent groups in Nigeria and beyond,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
The new policy, established under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, allows the State Department to deny visas to anyone who has “directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom.” Where applicable, these restrictions could also extend to the individuals’ immediate family members.
Rubio emphasized that the measures could be applied “to Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom,” highlighting US concern over the surge in attacks on vulnerable religious communities.
The announcement came after a briefing by US House Republicans on Tuesday, which addressed the rise of religious violence in Nigeria. The session, held under the direction of President Donald Trump, tasked the House Appropriations Committee to investigate what he described as the slaughter of Christians in the country.
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The briefing was led by House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart, and included members of the House Appropriations and House Foreign Affairs Committees, as well as experts on religious freedom. Among the participants were Representatives Robert Aderholt, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Chris Smith, US Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Vicky Hartzler, Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson, and Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations.
In related developments, President Bola Tinubu recently approved Nigeria’s delegation to the US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, established to implement security agreements following high-level talks in Washington led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The move comes amid escalating concerns over terrorism, banditry, and targeted attacks against Christians in Nigeria, prompting increased US oversight and warnings about protecting vulnerable religious groups.
President Trump designated Nigeria on October 31, 2025, as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over the reported killings of Christians. He had previously designated Nigeria as a CPC in December 2020 during his first term, but the designation was reversed after his electoral loss to President Joe Biden.
Following the re-designation, the US President, on November 3, indicated that he might consider military options to protect Nigeria’s persecuted Christians. On November 20, the US House Subcommittee on Africa held a public hearing to review the redesignation, assessing potential consequences, including possible sanctions against Nigerian officials implicated in religious persecution.