Miyetti Allah seeks removal from US sanctions list, says Christian persecution claim flawed

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has urged the US Congress to withdraw its recommendation for targeted sanctions, after lawmakers linked the group to serious violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.

In a resolution introduced on November 4, Smith Christopher, member of the house of representatives, recommended visa bans and asset freezes as sanctions on members of MACBAN and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.

Christopher added that the US also place “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau states on the entities of particular concern (EPC) list under the International Religious Freedom Act.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, Baba Ngelzarma, MACBAN president, said the association had written the US Congress through the American embassy in Abuja, urging lawmakers to strike its name from the list of entities.

“We reject the misleading and incomplete assertions contained in the resolution,” Ngelzarma said.

“MACBAN is a lawful socio-cultural and economic association registered by the Federal Government since 1986. We are not a militia, we are not a violent organisation.”

The group said the US resolution blurred critical distinctions between criminal gangs, which operate independently, and law-abiding pastoralists who are also victims of Nigeria’s deteriorating security landscape.

The association presented a decade-long record of casualties suffered by herding communities to assert its position.

According to Ngelzarma, between 2015 and 2025, 18,600 pastoralists have been killed, 1.29 million displaced, 87,543 houses destroyed, over one million cattle rustled or slaughtered, and multiple MACBAN state executives assassinated for aiding security agencies.

“These figures show a community under attack, not one perpetrating violence,” Ngelzarma said.

He also highlighted MACBAN’s societal peace building efforts through collaborations with security agencies including the armed forces, Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), traditional rulers, and global partners such as USAID, Mercy Corps, Search for Common Ground and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

The US Congress is scheduled to hold a hearing on President Donald Trump’s re-designation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern (CPC) on Thursday.