The United States Department of State has announced it will impose visa restrictions on Nigerians found to be complicit in or responsible for violations of religious freedom.
The policy, issued under the Immigration and Nationality Act, is described as an action in response to the claims of the escalating violence and targeted persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The restrictions will apply to individuals who knowingly direct, authorize, fund, support, or carry out these violations, along with their immediate family members.
The U.S attributed the killings to Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani ethnic militias. The U.S stressed that the conflicts often target Christian communities, particularly in the Middle Belt and North-East regions.
The move follows a directive from President Donald Trump to investigate the violence. The announcement came one day after a Congressional roundtable in Washington where lawmakers and experts discussed the escalating violence and mass killings of Christians.
The Federal Government of Nigeria, however, has contested the religious persecution narrative, arguing that the violence is driven by criminal banditry, land disputes, and resource conflicts that affect both Christians and Muslims.
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