Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, introduced new legislation commending President Donald Trump’s recent redesignation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and outlining the course of action the U.S. Department of State should follow in response to the Nigerian government’s complicity in the religious persecution of Christians.

                Smith’s new bill, H.Res.860, is cosponsored by Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL). The bill updates and expands legislation (H.Res.220) Smith introduced earlier this year, which all current cosponsors supported.

                Smith’s previous bill urged the President to designate Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and called for a robust State Department response to Nigerian officials who have failed to address the mass murders, torture, religious freedom violations, and human rights abuses perpetrated against Christians—and Muslims—in their country.

                Smith, for more than a decade, has consistently introduced legislation and chaired congressional hearings on the crisis in Nigeria—the most recent of which was held in March.

                “To be a Christian living in Nigeria means to be living under the constant threat of murder, kidnapping, rape, and torture by radical Islamists, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists,” stated Smith, who has led numerous human rights trips to Nigeria.

                “My new legislation commends President Trump’s decisive action to redesignate Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’—reversing an incredibly ill-advised decision by the Biden Administration—and lays out a detailed roadmap for the State Department’s future diplomatic dealings with the Nigerian government—urging sanctions and new conditions on U.S. foreign assistance.”

                Rep. Huizenga, a cosponsor of H.Res.860 and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee, said, “The slaughter of innocent Christians in Nigeria demands a strong response from the United States. Congressman Chris Smith and I are leading the charge in Congress to stop these heinous killings.

                “H.Res.860 commends the Trump Administration for designating Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ while calling for the Administration to enact sanctions against individuals and entities in Nigeria who are supporting this horrific violence. Additionally, this measure calls for setting verifiable conditions on any US Aid going to Nigeria. Nigeria must do more to protect all innocent individuals, including Christians, within its borders,” added Rep. Huizenga.

                “President Trump’s ‘CPC’ designation of Nigeria is a critical first step towards achieving lasting peace, stability, and religious freedom in Nigeria,” said Smith, an internationally recognized human rights lawmaker.

                “Congress has a job to do as well—to support President Trump’s initiative and oversee the State Department’s actions as it implements the goals of a ‘CPC’ designation, using all appropriate and available tools to advance religious freedom and protect persecuted Christians in Nigeria.”

                Specifically, Smith’s bill lays out the tools the State Department can utilize, including those created through his previous law, the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, to:

• Provide immediate humanitarian assistance to faith-based groups in Nigeria;
• Condition U.S. foreign assistance, including global health programs, upon the Nigerian government’s actions to address religious freedom violations and develop strategies for long-term peace and stability;
• Collaborate with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to impose targeted sanctions, visa bans, asset freezes, and other restrictive measures under the Global Magnitsky framework on individuals and entities responsible for egregious religious freedom violations in Nigeria, such as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore;
• Add Fulani-Ethnic Militias operating in Benue and Plateau States to the Entities of Particular Concern list; and
• Reaffirm the United States’ commitment to promoting and protecting religious freedom and human rights throughout the globe.

                “It is well past time that the United States holds the Nigerian government responsible for its inability—or unwillingness—to fully confront and combat the unchecked, widespread religious persecution occurring within its borders,” concluded Smith.

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