The United States has announced sweeping visa restrictions targeting individuals linked to violent attacks on Christians in Nigeria and across the globe, marking one of Washington’s strongest actions yet on international religious persecution.
In a statement released Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the new policy—authorized under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act—will bar entry to anyone who has “directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom,” including, where appropriate, their immediate family members.
The move follows years of escalating assaults on Christian communities in parts of Nigeria, attributed to extremist groups, armed militias, and other violent actors. Rubio said the U.S. “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries,” echoing remarks previously issued by President Donald Trump.
The policy is expected to apply not only to individuals in Nigeria but also to foreign government officials and non-state actors complicit in religious persecution worldwide.
Shockwaves in Abuja: Senator Claims Presidency ‘Run From Outside the Villa’
The U.S. announcement coincided with a political firestorm in Nigeria, where Senator Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara West made explosive claims about the inner workings of the Nigerian presidency.
Speaking at the One Nigeria Project Conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the former governor alleged that President Bola Tinubu is “caged” within the Presidential Villa and that key decisions are being made “from outside” the seat of government.
“Those close to the Presidency know that the Presidency is being run from outside the Villa more than inside,” Yari said. “We already have the President caged there… we do the operations.”
Yari framed his comments as a call for unity and internal reform, insisting that Nigerians, not the United States, must confront the country’s political and security crises.
“Don’t call Trump,” he told the audience. “The problem of Nigeria can be solved by Nigerians.”
He argued that Nigeria’s survival through past political turmoil—referencing the 1993 June 12 crisis—shows that the nation remains “God’s own country,” capable of weathering internal conflicts and rebuilding institutions.
Yari also criticised the nation’s political elite, accusing them of misrepresenting President Tinubu’s situation and failing to take responsibility for Nigeria’s challenges.
“You have people abusing Tinubu because you know the problem more than the truth,” he said.
A Convergence of Pressure
The overlapping narratives, that is, Washington’s crackdown on religious persecution and Yari’s claims of political dysfunction, underscore the deepening tensions facing Africa’s largest democracy.
With U.S. scrutiny intensifying and domestic criticism mounting, the Tinubu administration enters a period of heightened pressure both from abroad and at home.
