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Claim: A Facebook user shared a post claiming that United States President Donald Trump had declared the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria a terrorist organisation.
Verdict: Misleading. The claim misrepresents a proposed legislative bill introduced by members of the U.S. House of Representatives as an executive declaration made personally by Donald Trump.
Full Text
A verified Facebook user, IB. Maiva, shared a video claiming that United States President Donald Trump officially classified Miyetti Allah as a terrorist organisation.
In the video (archive here), the user addresses the camera while a collage of images appears above him, displaying prominent figures including the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III; Senator Shehu Buba; Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The caption on the video reads, “When Donald Trump designated the Miyetti Allah Fulani organisation as a terrorist group, people thought he didn’t know what he was doing. Now, reality is showing itself little by little.”
The post attracted engagement and reactions across the platform. As of Sept. 5, 2026, the post generated 541 reactions, 28 comments, and 145 shares.
Some users appeared to accept the claim at face value. One user, Amos Obimusic, commented, “They are among the top terrorist organisations in the world according to Americans.
Another user, Obi Ugochukwu, alleged, “They are being sponsored.”
Given the sensitive nature of the claim and the potential implications of wrongly attributing a terrorist designation to the U.S. president, DUBAWA verified it.
Verification
DUBAWA reviewed the official record of the NRFAA 2026 (HR 7457), the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026.
The legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 10, 2026, and was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary.
The congressional record identifies the measure as a bill that was “Introduced in House.” This means it was a legislative proposal, and not an enacted law or presidential declaration.
What the legislation actually proposes
As widely reported across national and international media—including reports by Channels Television, ThisDay, and Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ)– the bill proposes targeted sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, such as visa bans and asset freezes, against named entities and individuals, including the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
However, the bill does not state that Donald Trump has designated either association as a terrorist organisation. Instead, the draft legislation directs the U.S. Secretary of State to review and determine whether certain armed Fulani-ethnic nomad militias operating in Nigeria meet the statutory criteria for designation as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Meanwhile, the bill references President Trump’s past actions redesignating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. A CPC label is a diplomatic designation focused on religious freedom violations and is legally distinct from an FTO terrorist designation.
MACBAN’s Reaction
Following the introduction of the bill, MACBAN rejected allegations linking the organisation to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling.
The group said the proposed legislative sanction was unjust and called on the Nigerian government to pursue diplomatic channels with Washington to clear up misconceptions.
Conclusion
The claim that Donald Trump declared Miyetti Allah a terrorist organisation is misleading.
This fellowship is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.