The United States says it will impose visa restrictions on individuals involved in religious persecution in Nigeria and other countries.
The announcement was made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a post on X on Wednesday.
The new policy is being introduced as Washington responds to rising concerns over violence and attacks against Christian communities and other religious groups globally.
Rubio stated that the United States is taking decisive action in response to the atrocities and violence against Christians in Nigeria and around the world.
“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the atrocities and violence against Christians in Nigeria and around the world. The State Department 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,” he stated
The announcement reflects Washington’s expanding use of visa sanctions as a diplomatic tool, particularly in issues involving human rights and security. It also signals growing international attention on the religious violence affecting several Nigerian states.
Nigeria has witnessed a steep rise in violent insecurity in recent years, driven by a mix of terrorism, banditry, communal conflict, and targeted religious-based attacks.
The scale and frequency of violent incidents, including mass kidnappings, killings, and attacks on places of worship and schools, have drawn heightened domestic and international attention. Growing concern over violent deaths and the perceived targeting of religious minorities helped prompt action from external observers.
On November 1, 2025, President Trump formally designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over what he described as widespread killings of Christians and alleged systematic religious-based violence. This new designation reverses an earlier decision in November 2021, United States Department of State removed Nigeria from its list of religious freedom violators because the conditions had improved at the time.
The U.S. President emphasized that the killings, reported to account for 3,100 of the 4,476 Christian deaths recorded worldwide, required an immediate U.S. response. Trump said that beyond declarations, the U.S. government must take tangible steps to prevent further attacks and support persecuted religious groups
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in response to the current rate of insecurity, declared a nationwide security emergency to address escalating violence, abductions, banditry and insurgency across multiple regions.
As part of that push, the government has authorised a major expansion of security personnel: it increased recruitment for the Nigeria Police Force to bring in an additional 20,000 officers, raising the planned total force size to 50,000.
It also ordered the deployment of other security agencies, including trained forest guards under the Department of State Services (DSS) to flush out terrorists and criminals operating in forests and remote hideouts.
The government says it is mobilising its full security machinery to dismantle terrorist and criminal networks, and pledged to actively pursue, neutralise, and eliminate terrorists, bandits, and criminal elements wherever they may be operating.