US to impose visa bans over attacks on Christians in Nigeria

The United States says it will begin imposing visa restrictions on individuals responsible for attacks on Christians in Nigeria and other countries, in what Washington describes as a decisive response to rising religious persecution.

Announcing the policy in a post on X on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said:

“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the atrocities and violence against Christians in Nigeria and around the world. The @StateDept will restrict U.S. visas for those who knowingly direct, authorize, fund, support, or carry out violations of religious freedom. This visa policy applies to Nigeria and other governments or individuals that persecute people for their religious beliefs.”

The new restrictions mark one of Washington’s strongest unilateral steps on Nigeria’s religious-freedom concerns in recent years.

Rising Violence

Nigeria has faced a long stretch of insecurity marked by mass killings, kidnappings, bandit raids, and extremist attacks across several regions. Christian communities in the Middle Belt and parts of the Northeast have repeatedly come under assault by armed groups, with attacks ranging from village raids to the destruction of churches.

In Plateau, Benue, Kaduna and Taraba, thousands have been killed in recent years in clashes involving armed militias, criminal gangs, and extremist factions. Rights groups and religious organizations have accused the Nigerian government of failing to adequately protect vulnerable communities or prosecute perpetrators.

At the same time, jihadist groups in the Northeast – Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) – have continued killings, targeted abductions, and forced conversions.

Churches have been raided in the last two weeks, and worshippers abducted in Kwara and Kogi states. A senior pastor who was kidnapped in Kaduna in October was reported dead last week in captivity. He is believed to have been killed by his captors.

Muslims have also been targeted in several communities in the region. The Nigerian government argues that the attacks do not single out Christians as adherents of other religions are also kidnapped and killed.

Diplomatic Implications

The U.S. decision places fresh scrutiny on Nigeria at a time when the Tinubu administration is under pressure to curb escalating insecurity nationwide. The visa policy is expected to target government officials, security actors, and non-state groups found to be linked to religious-freedom violations.

The Nigerian government has not yet responded to the announcement.