Senator Ali Ndume is surprised by a bill in the US Congress that is proposing sanctions against the ex-Kano Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, describing it as surprising and out of place.
Ndume of Borno South spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“I am surprised that Kwankwaso’s name was mentioned, and I want to know why and how he got mentioned,” the lawmaker said on Friday’s edition of the current affairs show.
“For them to mention just Kwankwaso, a former governor, something must be fishy somewhere. Perhaps there is intelligence and information available to others that some of us aren’t aware of.
“I don’t want to go too deeply into that, but in my view, the asset freezes and sanctions proposed by the UK, America, and other developed countries are misplaced,” the lawmaker said.
On Tuesday, five US lawmakers introduced a bill in Congress, seeking to sanction Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore for alleged violations of religious freedom.
READ ALSO: US Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Sanction Miyetti Allah, Kwankwaso, Fulani Militia
The proposed legislation, captioned “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026,” is being sponsored by Chris Smith, Riley Moore (bill author), Brian Mast, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Bill Huizenga.
“The Department of State and the Department of the Treasury should impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, on individuals or entities responsible for severe religious freedom violations, or report to Congress the reasons such sanctions have not been imposed, including— Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor; Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore,” part of the bill sighted by Channels Television, read.
The move is coming months after US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over the “killing” of Christians, a development the lawmakers said was justified.
But Ndume wants the US and other countries to go beyond the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
“If they want to help us, they should focus their attention on ‘People of Particular Concern’ rather than labeling the entire nation a ‘Country of Particular Concern,” Ndume, a former chief whip of the Senate, said on the programme.
“The majority of Nigerians are innocent people. But there are a few people who are holding Nigeria’s assets outside, and they [foreign powers] know, and up to now, there is no exposure [of such people].”
READ ALSO: NNPP Slams U.S. Bill Seeking Visa Ban, Asset Freeze On Kwankwaso
Meanwhile, the Kwankwasiyya Movement, led by Kwankwaso, has rejected the proposed legislation.
It said the inclusion of the former minister’s name is “unfounded” and “politically motivated,” asking for its immediate removal from the bill.
“We state unequivocally that these allegations are consistent with nothing in the verifiable public record of Senator Kwankwaso’s life and service,” its spokesperson Habibu Mohammed said in a statement.
A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the platform under which Kwankwaso contested the 2023 presidential election, has also criticised the bill.
“How can anybody in their right senses put up a bill that is as important as talking about religion and terrorism and single out one individual in this country?” Folashade Aliu asked on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
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