United States senator Ted Cruz has accused Nigerian government officials of complicity in attacks against Christians in the country.
Cruz made the claim during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on the United States’ counterterrorism policy in Africa on Tuesday.
Efforts to get the federal government’s comment yesterday were futile, but former Information Minister under late President Muhammadu Buhari, Lai Mohammed, declared in the United Kingdom yesterday that Boko Haram was killing more Muslims than Christians.
However, during the session, the legislator claimed that Nigeria has the largest number of Christians slain for their faith anywhere in the world.
He stated that since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians had been killed, while over 20,000 churches, schools, and other religious buildings had been destroyed.
“Nigerian officials had been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” Cruz said.
He attributed some of the violence to the implementation of Sharia law in some northern states, as well as criticism of Nigerian authorities for their delayed response to the country’s instability.
Cruz remembered a previous meeting with Nigerian defense and security officials, during which he was assured that the violence would be dealt with.
However, he stated that the promises made have yet to be fulfilled.
“I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialize,” he said.
The senator also stated that in October, he proposed the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025.
According to him, the bill is intended to hold Nigerian government officials accountable for suspected complicity in attacks against Christians.
During the hearing, Cruz questioned Nick Checker, a senior official in the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, about whether exchanges between Nigeria and the United States had resulted in substantial progress, particularly following steps taken by US President Donald Trump.
In his response, Checker stated that Nigeria has exhibited some cooperation with the United States and cited changes in the country’s security establishment, such as leadership changes, troop recruitment, and the deployment of forest guards to difficult areas.
“We’ve seen some positive movements, including leadership changes in Nigerian security services, recruitment of additional troops, and deployment of forest guards to areas affected by violence,” he said.
He added that there had been an increase in the prosecution of suspected terrorists, mentioning the creation of a bilateral high-level working group after discussions between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and US Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker.
Checker noted further that recent support from the United States to Nigerian security forces showed continued cooperation between both countries.
“We’ve seen positive steps by the Nigerians, but certainly more can be done,” Checker said, adding that the US would continue to push for further action.
