Five Republican Congress members have claimed Chinese illegal miners in Nigeria pay terrorists for protection, citing this in a bill urging stronger US action on religious violence. The Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, led by Reps. Riley Moore (WV), Chris Smith (NJ), Bill Huizenga (MI), Brian Mast (FL), and Mario Diaz-Balart (FL), demands a State Department report on persecution efforts.
Lawmakers describe “systemic religious persecution” since 2009 by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Fulani militants, including 50,000-125,000 Christian deaths and church destructions. They argue these acts qualify as terrorism under US law and link Chinese miners to paying Fulani groups for access, echoing SBM Intelligence and WikkiTimes reports of bribes and negotiations with figures like Dogo Gide.
The bill arrives amid US-Nigeria strains: President Trump’s recent “Country of Particular Concern” redesignation, December 2025 airstrikes on IS camps (with debris in Sokoto, Kwara, Niger), and US troop deployments for training. Nigeria denies Christian genocide claims, insists violence hits all faiths, and confirms consent for strikes as sovereignty-respecting partnership.
A related Moore-Smith bill targets ex-Kano Gov. Rabiu Kwankwaso and herder groups for terrorist designation. Chinese officials have not commented on the mining-terror funding claims.
