The United States may soon label Fulani militias terrorists following a Bill in the US Congress seeking to give the US President the mandate to hunt down them and their sponsors either in Nigeria or elsewhere all over the world.
Moore represents West Virginia.
He mentioned the bill in his X post this week on Tuesday.
He wrote “Today, I am proud to introduce the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 with Rep. Chris Smith,” he wrote.
The Republican noted further that “The U.S. is a Christian nation. As such, we must stand with persecuted Christians around the world.
“Our legislation will build upon the momentum of President Trump designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and the recent US-Nigeria security framework agreement.”
The bill, tagged HR 7457, wants the US secretary of state to submit an annual report to the foreign affairs committees in the house of representatives and the senate detailing efforts to address what it describes as Christian persecution in Nigeria.ion
The Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa subcommittee, Hon Smith said the United States has a duty to ensure p Nigeria act against systemic violence.
He said “The Nigerian government’s blatant denial of the religious persecution occurring within its borders has only enabled the religious-based violence in the country to fester, with Christian deaths and church attacks reaching unprecedented numbers,” Smith said.
The Bill now before the US Congress is being promoted by Republican lawmakers.
The lawmakers said between 50,000 and 125,000 Christians were killed between 2009 and 2025.
One of the outstanding supporters of the Bill, lawmaker Riley Moore alongside some US lawmakers in late 2025 held metings with Nigeria’s NSA Nuhu Ribadu in Abuja. The NSA later travelled to the US where he met with State House officials.
The US already designated Boko Haram a terrorist organisation. The Fulani militia have been having a field day killing and maiming Nigerians in thousands.
While President Mohammadu Buhari designated Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, [IPOB] as a terrorist organisation, he failed to attack violence to Fulani militia who butchered thousands of Nigerians.
While IPOB is fighting for self determination, Fulani militias appear to be mainly concerned with brutal mass killings across the country maintaining a strong link with world renown terrorist groups.
At least three terrorist groups,Lakurawa, Mahmuda and Ansaru are currently linked with Fulani militia.
If the bill sails through, the Fulani militia will be regarded as a terrorist organisation. This also means tracking their sponsors in Nigeria and across Africa.
Observers consider the current US move as a major setback for Fulani ethnic hegemony that has historically used force as a political weapon of threat and intimidation to sustain their stronghold on power or harrass leaderships that fail to dance to their whims.
The Bill seeks to label Fulani militia as Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) over “religious violence” in Nigeria.
The legislation is titled the ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026.’
It was introduced by Riley Moore and co-sponsored by Chris Smith, alongside other Republican lawmakers.
Promoters want the US Secretary of State to consider whether Fulani militias should be formally designated as a terrorist organisation.
They call for the submission of to annual reports to the US congress on efforts to address alleged religious persecution in Nigeria.
The lawmakers wants the leadership to review US assistance to Nigeria to bilateral relationship did not impair religious freedom.
The lawmakers behind the bill also warned that the expansion of militant groups in Nigeria undermines US national security and foreign policy interests, destabilises a strategically important region and worsens the security situation across West Africa.
The legislation further alleges that religious leaders advocating tolerance have been targeted, noting that more than 250 Christian clergy and Muslim imams have been attacked or killed in the past decade.
It referenced the killing of Father Sylvester Okechukwu in 2025 and claimed that other Christian leaders, including Father Remigius Iyahula and Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, faced intimidation after testifying before the US Congress on the situation in Nigeria.
The bill comes amid reports that the United States plans to deploy about 200 troops to support Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts.
The proposal was formally introduced on February 10, 2026, and follows earlier legislative efforts, including a 2025 bill sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz that sought to impose sanctions and designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern but drew criticism for not explicitly addressing Fulani militias.
