Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7457 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7457 To require a comprehensive report on United States efforts to address religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 10, 2026 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Moore of West Virginia, Mr. Mast, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Huizenga, and Mr. Cole) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To require a comprehensive report on United States efforts to address religious persecution and mass atrocities in Nigeria. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) Systemic religious persecution has persisted in Nigeria since at least 2009, including mass murder, kidnappings, rape, village destruction, and forced displacement of persons, perpetrated by Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Fulani militant groups, and other extremist organizations. (2) Estimates indicate that between 50,000 to 125,000 Christians have been martyred between 2009 and 2025, with more than 19,000 Christian churches attacked or destroyed. (3) Fulani-ethnic militias in Nigeria--including networks of armed groups engaged in organized attacks on civilian communities--have carried out repeated acts of violence that meet the statutory definit