The United States government has introduced new visa restrictions aimed at Nigerians believed to be involved in abuses of religious freedom, with the sanctions also potentially extending to their immediate family members.
The announcement, released on Wednesday through a State Department statement titled “Combating Egregious Anti-Christian Violence in Nigeria and Globally,” said the move comes in response to widespread attacks, killings, and persecution of Christians attributed to radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani militias, and other violent groups operating within Nigeria and other regions.
According to the State Department, the restrictions are being enforced under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the U.S Immigration and Nationality Act.
The provision empowers American authorities to deny entry to individuals who have “directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom.”
Officials added that the policy could also cover the immediate families of those found culpable.
The statement referenced comments by former US President Donald Trump, stressing that Washington “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries.”
The new measure will therefore apply not only to Nigerian actors but to any government or individual implicated in attacks on religious minorities.
This development comes amid rising global alarm over the increasing wave of violence targeting religious groups in Nigeria, including killings, abductions, and the destruction of homes and places of worship by armed factions.
