House Republicans Propose New Bill to Help Persecuted Christians in Nigeria
Two House Republicans introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability act of 2026,which would require the U.S. State Department to produce a report on American efforts to help persecuted christians in Nigeria and on Nigeria’s cooperation with those efforts.
Key points:
– The bill, sponsored by Rep.Riley Moore and Rep. chris Smith, would task the Secretary of State (cited in the article as Marco Rubio) with compiling a report assessing Nigeria’s compliance with the International religious Freedom Act and its actions related to preventing persecution, prosecuting perpetrators, repealing blasphemy laws, protecting vulnerable communities, and facilitating the safe return of internally displaced persons.
– The report would name individuals and entities sanctioned in relation to the persecution and would investigate whether the Nigerian government is taking steps to cease enforcement of blasphemy laws and whether non-Muslims, Muslims, and dissenters are subjected to Sharia law or blasphemy charges.
– The lawmakers argue that Nigeria has rejected religious persecution, a stance they say has allowed violence against Christians to grow, with church attacks and Christian deaths mentioned as rising concerns.
– The legislation comes as the United States has designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern,prompting scrutiny of Nigeria’s handling of religious violence and protection for Christians and non-radical Muslims.
– The article notes that Islamic extremist groups like Boko haram have displaced Christian communities and carried out attacks, including church destruction and abductions.
– It also references a New York Times report stating that roughly 100 U.S. military personnel arrived in Nigeria to support Nigeria’s armed forces, with U.S. personnel not in a combat role and nigerian forces retaining command authority.
the article centers on a proposed U.S. bill to increase accountability and oversight of Nigeria’s treatment of religious minorities,alongside a contemporaneous U.S. military presence described as supporting non-combat roles to bolster protection for Christians.
Two House Republicans introduced new legislation that will require the State Department to create a report detailing American efforts to help persecuted Christians in Nigeria.
Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia and Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey proposed the “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026,” which seeks to assess Nigeria’s cooperation with U.S. efforts to safeguard its Christian community.
“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,” Moore said in a Feb. 10 release.
The report, which would be compiled by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would include an assessment of Nigeria’s compliance with the International Religious Freedom Act.
Such compliance involves “specific actions taken, or not taken, by the Government of Nigeria to prevent persecution, prosecute perpetrators, repeal blasphemy laws, protect vulnerable communities, and facilitate the safe return of internally displaced persons.”
The report would also include names of all individuals and entities sanctioned in relation to the ongoing persecution.
The bill meanwhile calls for “an investigation into whether the Nigerian government is taking appropriate steps to cease enforcement of blasphemy laws, and to look into instances of non-Muslims, Muslims, and dissenters being subjected to Sharia law or blasphemy laws.”
Smith said in the release that the Nigerian government has denied the “religious persecution occurring within its borders,” which has “only enabled the religious-based violence in the country to fester, with Christian deaths and church attacks reaching unprecedented numbers.”
The lawmaker noted that President Donald Trump has once more designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” meaning that the United States must “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.”
Islamic military groups like Boko Haram have spent years terrorizing and displacing Christian communities in the northern and central regions of Nigeria.
The terrorism has been marked by the destruction of Christian churches and homes, the abduction of schoolchildren, and the mass murder of Christian villagers.
Days after the legislation was filed, the first installment of U.S. military personnel arrived in Nigeria as part of a broader mission to protect Christians, according to a report from The New York Times.
That first installment involves about 100 personnel.
The mission will also include intelligence analysts, advisers, and trainers for Nigeria’s armed forces.
They will be positioned at three locations across Nigeria, an unnamed War Department official told The New York Times.
Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, a defense spokesman for Nigeria, told the outlet that the American troops “do not serve in a combat capacity and will not assume a direct operational role.”
“Nigerian forces retain full command authority, make all operational decisions and will lead all missions on Nigerian sovereign territory,” he added.
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