US lawmaker Rep Riley Moore and others have introduced a bill in the United States Congress which will impose sanctions and visa ban on former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Others to be sanctioned include Fulani ethnic militia, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
Also included for sanctions are organisations and individuals that provide support for Fulani ethnic militia.
The bill urged the United States to deliver humanitarian assistance, co-funded by the Government of Nigeria, through trusted faith-based and nongovernmental organisations in Nigeria’s middle belt states.
“The Department of State and the Department of the Treasury should impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability10 Act, on individuals or entities responsible for severe religious freedom violations, including— Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigerria; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor; Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
“The Secretary of State should determine whether certain Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria, qualify as a foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (823U.S.C. 1189); individuals and networks—domestic or foreign—that provide support to these Fulani-ethnic militias should be investigated and held accountable; the Secretary of State should consider4technical support to the Government of Nigeria to reduce and then eliminate violence from armed Fulani militias, including disarmament programs and comprehensive counter-terrorism cooperation to8rid the region of Foreign Terrorist Organizations that pose a direct threat to the American homeland.
“The Secretary of State should work with the Government of Nigeria to counteract the hostile foreign exploitation of Chinese illegal mining operations and their destabilizing practice of paying protection money to Fulani militias; the Nigerian Government should thoroughly investigate instances of penalties or imprisonment under blasphemy laws or Sharia law and work to end these practices and repeal such laws; the United States stands in solidarity with Christians and all persecuted religious minorities in Nigeria in their right to practice their faith without fear of violence, persecution, or death, and a future goodwill relationship between the United States and Nigeria hinges upon the Nigerian Government’s…”
