President Trump meets DR Congo and Rwandan leaders to sign peace agreement in Washington.
The United States has issued a major policy shift targeting what it calls “mass killings and attacks on Christians” in Nigeria, signaling that visa bans may soon hit individuals and groups implicated in the violence.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is “taking decisive action” as concerns rise over deadly assaults linked to radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani militias, and other violent groups operating within Nigeria and across the region.
“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,” Rubio said in a statement.
The State Department confirmed that the measures fall under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, empowering authorities to restrict visas for anyone who has:
- Directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom.
Rubio noted the restrictions could also extend to immediate family members and apply to “Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom.”
The move highlights growing frustration in Washington over what officials describe as rising attacks on vulnerable Christian communities, especially in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
The announcement comes just a day after US House Republicans held a closed-door briefing on Nigeria’s religious violence.
The session—ordered by President Donald Trump—followed his October 31 directive to the House Appropriations Committee to investigate what he called the “slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria.
The briefing was led by House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart, with participation from members of the House Appropriations and House Foreign Affairs Committees, alongside religious freedom experts.
Attendees at the briefing included Representatives Robert Aderholt, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, and Chris Smith, alongside USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler, Alliance Defending Freedom International’s Sean Nelson, and Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Amid growing US scrutiny, President Bola Tinubu has approved Nigeria’s delegation to the newly established US–Nigeria Joint Working Group, designed to implement security commitments reached during high-level meetings in Washington led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
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