Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee, and Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV), along with the backing of an impressive team of leading foreign affairs lawmakers, today introduced new legislation that would require the U.S. Secretary of State to compile and submit to Congress a comprehensive report on U.S. efforts to address the ongoing religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria.

             Garnering the early support of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL), House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), Appropriations Vice Chairman Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL), and Foreign Affairs South and East Asia Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga (R-MI), the new Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 (HR 7457) is expected to move through the House quickly and gain widespread support. President Trump has engaged in the issue extensively and has been leading the global charge to end the systemic religious persecution occurring in Nigeria.

             “The Nigerian government’s blatant denial of the religious persecution occurring within its borders has only enabled the religious-based violence in the country to fester, with Christian deaths and church attacks reaching unprecedented numbers,” said Rep. Smith, who has chaired 13 congressional hearings on the religious persecution crisis in Nigeria.

             “Now that President Trump has rightly redesignated Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC), the United States has a responsibility to 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, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists,” he noted.

             “For years, Christians in Nigeria have faced unspeakable violence—churches burned, villages destroyed, families slaughtered—while the global community looked away. As part of the investigation President Trump asked me to lead, I visited Nigeria and witnessed firsthand the horrors our brothers and sisters in Christ face and saw the security challenges Nigeria faces,” stated Rep. Moore, the author of legislation to condemn the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and support President Trump’s CPC designation.

             “That is why I am proud to introduce the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 with Representative Chris Smith. 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,” he continued.

             “The free world cannot stand by as Christians face mass murders, kidnappings and brutal assaults at the hands of terrorist thugs and armed militias in Nigeria. The Nigerian government must do their part to eliminate the scourge of religious persecution plaguing the country,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast. “This bill aligns with President Trump’s steps to hold them accountable and signal to the world that the U.S. stands firm in defending religious freedom.”

             “Defending religious liberty in Nigeria and worldwide is both a moral duty and a vital American interest. Moreover, this bill, as well as President Trump’s ongoing efforts, does just that,” stated House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole. “The Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 makes it clear: religious persecution will not be tolerated.”

             The U.S. Secretary of State-issued report mandated by the Smith-Moore bill requires the following components:

• An assessment of Nigeria’s compliance with the International Religious Freedom Act, including 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.
• Identification of all individuals and entities sanctioned, or under consideration for sanction, under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act or the Entities of Particular Concern list.
• A description of co-investments and collaborative efforts between the Governments of Nigeria and the U.S. to provide and deliver humanitarian assistance to Christians displaced by the attacks from Fulani-ethnic militias, through faith-based or nongovernmental partners, including amounts, recipients, type of assistance provided, and measurable outcomes.
• An evaluation and description of historical, ongoing, and planned U.S. security assistance to Nigeria, and a comprehensive assessment of whether such assistance risks enabling or exacerbating religious persecution.
• 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.
• An assessment of internally displaced persons (IDP) conditions, including safety, humanitarian needs, and prospects for return.
• Recommendations for further executive actions or congressional authority deemed necessary and most helpful to halt the religious persecution and mass atrocities occurring in Nigeria.
• An evaluation of any steps taken by the Government of Nigeria during the reporting period to address religious persecution, dismantle extremist networks, prosecute attackers, reform security forces, or improve protection for at-risk communities.

             “I applaud the Nigerian government for working in coordination and cooperation with the Trump Administration to address the security challenges throughout the country. I stand ready to continue working to deepen and strengthen our relationship with Nigeria, as we work to save Christian lives,” said Rep. Moore.

             “Inaction on the parts of both the Nigerian and U.S. governments only emboldens these radical Islamist thugs to inflict even more misery, suffering, and death upon Christians and non-radical Muslims in Nigeria. That is why it is paramount that the United States remain steadfast in its mission to promote and protect religious freedoms throughout the globe—by ensuring that we are doing all that we can to end this crisis, we set an important example for the rest of the international community,” concluded Rep. Smith.

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