Thousands of people, including the democratically-elected President, have been imprisoned without trial. Nigeria's democratic Constitution has been suspended, stripping the Nigerian people of their most basic human and civil rights. In this wealthy nation, nearly 40 percent of Nigerian children suffer from malnutrition and the diseases of acute poverty. Condemnations of the dictatorship come from such organizations as Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Commission and world leaders from Nelson Mandela to Bill Clinton.

There is one piece of legislation before Congress that addresses the human rights situation in Nigeria. H.R. 1786, the Nigerian Democracy Act, was introduced in Congress by Representative Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Representative Amory Houghton (R-NY). This Bill would impose economic and diplomatic sanctions against the military government. The Bill's sponsors report that many Nigerian pro-democracy, human rights and religious leaders have called for sanctions to weaken the dictatorship. They note that oil sales to the United States and other Western countries generate 95 percent of Nigeria's hard currency earnings and over 80 percent of government revenue. The Bill's key provisions include:

• A ban on new U.S. corporate investment in Nigeria, including the strategic energy sector;
• A ban on U.S. arms sales;
• Denial of visas to members of the military government;
• A ban on direct air travel between the United States and Nigeria;
• Denial of U.S. economic aid except for human rights and democracy programs;
• A freeze on the personal assets of members of the regime; and
• U.S. opposition to loans from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and a cutoff of American trade loans and guarantees.

The following Members of Congress are currently co-sponsoring the Nigeria Democracy Act: Neil Abercrombie (D-HI); Gary Ackerman (D-NY); Rod Blagojevich (D-IL); Douglas Bereuter (R-NE); Howard L. Berman (D-CA); Corrine Brown (D-FL); Sherrod Brown (D-OH); Steve Chabot (R-OH); William Clay (D-MO); John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI); William J. Coyne (D-PA); Elijah Cummings (D-MD); Rosa DeLauro (D-CT); Ronald Dellums (D-CA); Eliot L. Engel (D-NY); Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA); Eni Faleomavaega (D-AS); Sam Farr (D-GA); Chaka Fattah (D-PA); Bob Filner (D-CA); Barney Frank (D-MA); Elizabeth Furse (D-OR); Henry Gonzalez (D-TX); Luis Gutierrez (D-IL); Amory Houghton (R-NY); Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX); Joseph P. Kennedy (D-MA); Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH); Tom Lantos (D-CA); Thomas Manton (D-NY); Cynthia McKinney (D-GA); George Miller (D-CA); James P. Moran (D-VA); Richard E. Neal (D-MA); Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC); John Olver (D-MA); Major Owens (D-NY); Donald Payne (D-NJ); Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); John Edward Porter (R-IL); Lynn A. Rivers (D-MI); Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA); Bobby L. Rush (D-IL); Bernard Sanders (I-VT); Christopher Shays (R-CT); Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY); Christopher Smith (R-NJ); James M. Talent (R-MO); Esteban Torres (D-CA); Nydia Velázquez (D-NY); Maxine Waters (D-CA); Henry A. Waxman (D-CA); Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
February 28, 1998.

"The human rights record remained dismal. Throughout the year, [Nigerian General Sani] Abacha's Government relied regularly on arbitrary detention and harassment to silence its most outspoken critics. The winner of the annulled Presidential election, Chief Moshood K. Abiola, remained in prison on charges of treason, as did prominent politician Olu Falae, pro-democracy activist Fredrick Fasehun and several others. Security forces committed extrajudicial killings and used excessive force to quell anti-government protests as well as to combat crime, resulting in the death and injury of many individuals, including innocent civilians. Security forces tortured and beat suspects and detainees. There were many reports of sexual abuse of female suspects and prisoners by the security forces. Prison conditions remained life threatening; many prisoners died in custody. Security services continued routine harassment of human rights and pro-democracy groups, including labor leaders, journalists and student activists. "Citizens do not have the right to change their government by peaceful means. Despite the announced timetable for a transition from military to multiparty rule, there was little progress toward democracy. "Other human rights problems include infringements on freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, travel, workers rights and violence and discrimination against women."

Nigeria Country Report on Human Rights Practices
U.S. Department of State January 30, 1998

"I am constantly contacted by African-American ministers, heads of organizations and business people on [Nigerian ruler Sani Abacha's] behalf. They say he is doing for Nigeria what no one else is doing. And I almost always answer 'yeah, in the name of dictatorship.' We are allowing them to advance the wrong leaders, leaders that are not about democracy, leaders that are killing people."

Congresswoman Maxine Waters
Chair, Congressional Black Caucus
April 19, 1997

"I join with freedom-loving people in New York, our nation and around the world in telling the Nigerian military that we will not ignore or forget the needless and unjust slaughter that for too long has characterized their rule; that we will not ignore or forget their continued disregard for human life and democratic principles. General Abacha, like too many Nigerian military rulers before him, shuns democratic rule and does not hesitate to enforce his tyranny by unleashing his military hardware against unarmed, impoverished, innocent civilians."

Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins
September 17, 1997