US Starts Enforcing Visa Bans on Religious Freedom Violators in Nigeria

The United States has started enforcing visa restrictions on individuals it says are responsible for violations of religious freedom in Nigeria. Mark Walker, the US Principal Adviser for Global Religious Freedom, confirmed the policy is already in effect.

“We have already executed on this policy, and we will continue to subject perpetrators to additional scrutiny,” Walker posted on X on Friday. “If you engage in persecution, you are not welcome in America.”

The restrictions were first announced in December by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said they would target people who “knowingly direct, authorise, fund, support, or carry out violations of religious freedom.” Rubio framed the move as a response to violence against Christians in Nigeria and elsewhere.

This is not happening in a vacuum. In November, Chris Smith, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Africa subcommittee, introduced a resolution recommending visa bans and asset freezes on individuals and entities tied to religious freedom abuses in Nigeria. His resolution specifically named the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as organisations linked to such violations. Then in February, some US lawmakers pushed for sanctions against former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, accusing him of complicity in religious freedom violations.

Walker did not name any of the individuals currently affected by the visa restrictions. That lack of specificity is going to frustrate people on all sides. Human rights advocates will want to know whether the policy actually targets the worst offenders. Those accused will want to know if they are on the list. And the Nigerian government, which has bristled at foreign criticism of its handling of religious violence in the past, may see this as yet another case of Washington overstepping.

The broader context matters too. Nigeria has been on the US State Department’s Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom for years. The US Embassy in Abuja also just suspended visa appointments over security concerns, and a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” advisory is in effect for the whole country, with 23 states under Level 4 “Do Not Travel.” So the visa restrictions are landing on top of an already strained relationship between the two countries on security and human rights issues.

Whether these bans change any behaviour on the ground in Nigeria is an open question. Visa restrictions are a blunt instrument. They punish individuals, but they don’t exactly rebuild burned churches or bring back people killed in sectarian attacks. Then again, the US seems to have decided that doing something is better than watching from the sidelines.

Sources: Vanguard, NaijaNews