United States senator Ted Cruz has alleged that some Nigerian government officials are complicit in attacks against Christians in the country.
Cruz made the claim during a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on Washington’s counterterrorism strategy in Africa, where he described Nigeria as the country with the highest number of Christians killed because of their faith. He said that since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians have been killed and over 20,000 churches, schools and other religious buildings destroyed.
“Nigerian officials have been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” he told the hearing, linking part of the violence to the operation of Sharia law in some northern states and criticising what he called the slow response of Nigerian authorities to insecurity.
Cruz recalled earlier meetings with Nigerian defence and security officials, saying they had promised to tackle the violence but had yet to deliver tangible results. He also disclosed that in October he introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a bill aimed at holding Nigerian officials accountable for alleged involvement in attacks on Christians.
Responding at the hearing, Nick Checker of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs said Nigeria had shown some cooperation, citing leadership changes in security agencies, recruitment of additional troops, deployment of forest guards and increased prosecution of suspected terrorists. He noted that a bilateral high‑level working group was created after talks between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and U.S. Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker.
Checker acknowledged “positive steps” by Nigeria but stressed that more still needs to be done, adding that the U.S. will continue to push for further action.
Meanwhile, former Nigerian Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, speaking separately at an event in the United Kingdom, rejected claims of a targeted genocide against Christians. He argued that Boko Haram and other insurgent groups have killed more Muslims than Christians and said Nigeria’s security crises are not driven by a policy of religious persecution.
Mohammed maintained that both Muslims and Christians suffer from terrorism and banditry, insisting that narratives of “Christian genocide” in Nigeria are inaccurate and must be challenged.
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