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Representative Riley Moore, a committee member, announced the measures on Wednesday in a series of tweets.
“The Tinubu Administration is spending millions lobbying Congress while failing to adequately address the genocide Nigerian Christians face daily,” Moore said.
The Tinubu Administration is spending millions lobbying Congress while failing to adequately address the genocide Nigerian Christians face daily.@HouseAppropsGOP just passed our annual State Department funding bill which takes serious steps to address this crisis. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/seOkDszcS1
— Rep. Riley M. Moore (@RepRileyMoore) April 29, 2026
Security assistance restricted
Moore explained that the bill restricts security assistance to Nigeria unless specific criteria are met.
“In this bill, I worked with @MarioDB to restrict Security Assistance to Nigeria unless certain criteria are met, including: – Effectively responding to violence and holding perpetrators accountable, – Prioritizing resources for internally displaced persons, – Actively returning displaced persons to their ancestral homelands,” he said.
The legislation requires Secretary of State Marco Rubio to assess Nigeria’s compliance with these standards, Moore added.
In this bill, I worked with @MarioDB to restrict Security Assistance to Nigeria unless certain criteria are met, including:
– Effectively responding to violence and holding perpetrators accountable,
– Prioritizing resources for internally displaced persons,
– Actively… pic.twitter.com/lXuTF19Yzh
— Rep. Riley M. Moore (@RepRileyMoore) April 29, 2026
Priorities for US assistance
The congressman outlined the areas that any US assistance to Nigeria must prioritise under the new provisions.
“Further, the law requires that any US assistance prioritises: – Atrocities prevention – Advancing religious freedom – Prosecuting Fulani ethnic militia groups, criminal gangs, and other jihadist terrorist groups. – Accountability for police and security forces – Delivery of humanitarian assistance – Bolstering faith-based organisations’ response in areas impacted by violence – Efforts to disarm Fulani ethnic militants,” Moore said.
Further, the law requires that any US assistance prioritizes:
– Atrocities prevention
– Advancing religious freedom
– Prosecuting Fulani ethnic militia groups, criminal gangs, and other jihadist terrorist groups.
– Accountability for police and security forces
– Delivery of… pic.twitter.com/W45kLDtEPA
— Rep. Riley M. Moore (@RepRileyMoore) April 29, 2026
Nigeria placed under higher oversight
Moore announced that Nigeria has been added to a list of countries requiring increased congressional scrutiny.
“The bill we passed out of committee also adds Nigeria to the list of countries requiring much higher levels of oversight. The Secretary is required to submit a plan for every dollar appropriated to Nigeria, and every dollar spent will have direct Congressional oversight,” he said.
The bill we passed out of committee also adds Nigeria to the list of countries requiring much higher levels of oversight.
The Secretary is required to submit a plan for every dollar appropriated to Nigeria, and every dollar spent will have direct Congressional oversight. pic.twitter.com/6asz8wLX6C
— Rep. Riley M. Moore (@RepRileyMoore) April 29, 2026
Funding for state police and militia response
The bill also includes millions of dollars to address violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, Moore said.
“The bill also includes millions in funding for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement to address ‘violence perpetrated by Fulani Ethnic Militia’ and other sources of instability in the Middle Belt. That provision also bolsters support for the establishment of state level police forces so Christians in Plateau and Benue aren’t sitting ducks waiting for help from Abuja,” he said.
“In my view, the Tinubu Administration has failed to live up to the conditions the appropriations committee placed on security assistance. I urge @SecRubio to take this into account in administering both FY26 and FY27 funding.”
Legislative text outlines conditions
The legislative text mandates that funds made available for Nigeria be used on a “cost-matching basis to the maximum extent practicable.”
Assistance shall support “atrocities prevention, including through early warning systems,” “advancing religious freedom,” and “investigations and prosecutions of violence committed by Fulani militia groups, jihadist terror groups, and criminal gangs,” according to the bill.
Funds are also designated for “the effectiveness and accountability of police and security forces for the protection of civilians from militia or terrorist attack,” as well as “the delivery of humanitarian assistance” and “the restoration of basic services in areas impacted by conflict including through faith-based and local organisations”.
Fifty percent conditional on certification
The bill stipulates that 50 percent of funds appropriated for assistance to the central government of Nigeria may not be obligated until the Secretary of State certifies that the Nigerian government is taking “effective steps to prevent and respond to violence and hold perpetrators accountable.”
The certification also requires that Nigeria is “prioritising resources to support victims of such violence, including internally displaced persons” and “actively facilitating the safe return, resettlement, and reconstruction of communities impacted by the violence.”
Spend plan and notification requirements
The bill requires the Secretary of State to submit a spend plan for funds made available for assistance to Pacific Islands countries, Nigeria, and Colombia within 180 days of enactment.
Nigeria is also listed among countries, including Afghanistan, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Ukraine, and others, for which funds may not be obligated or expended except through “the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.”
The bill also states that funds shall support “actively facilitating the safe return, resettlement, and reconstruction of communities impacted by the violence” and “allocating sufficient resources to address” these conditions.
