United States Senator Ted Cruz has alleged that Nigerian government officials are complicit in attacks against Christians in the country. The Republican senator made the accusation during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on the US counterterrorism strategy in Africa, held on April 21.
Cruz's Allegations
During the hearing, Cruz claimed that Nigeria records the highest number of Christians killed because of their faith anywhere in the world. He stated that since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians have been killed, and over 20,000 churches, schools, and other religious buildings have been destroyed.
“Nigerian officials had been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” Cruz said. He linked part of the violence to the operation of Sharia law in some northern states and criticized Nigerian authorities for their slow response to insecurity.
Cruz recalled a previous meeting with Nigerian defense and security officials, where assurances were given that the violence would be addressed. However, he said those promises have not yet produced results. “I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialize,” he said.
Proposed Legislation
The senator also revealed that in October, he introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025. The bill is designed to hold Nigerian government officials accountable for alleged involvement in attacks on Christians.
State Department Response
During the session, Cruz questioned Nick Checker, a senior official of the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, on whether engagements between Nigeria and the United States had led to meaningful progress. Checker said Nigeria had shown some level of cooperation.
“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,” Checker said. He added that there had been an increase in the prosecution of suspected terrorists.
Checker noted that recent support from the United States to Nigerian security forces showed continued cooperation. “We’ve seen positive steps by the Nigerians, but certainly more can be done,” he said, adding that the US would continue to push for further action.
Former Minister Disputes Narrative
Meanwhile, former Information Minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Lai Mohammed, said in the United Kingdom on April 22 that more Muslims than Christians are being killed by Boko Haram. While fielding questions from students of Abbey College, Cambridge, the former minister said narratives of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria were inaccurate.
“There should be more understanding on the part of the developed world. Now, people say that there is religious persecution in Nigeria and that there is genocide against Christians. It’s not true. It is fake news,” he said. “Nigeria as a country has challenges that will not be resolved by genocide against any religion.”
He said Boko Haram initially emerged as a movement targeting Muslims who embraced Western education, noting that early victims were largely Muslims. “At the beginning, the victims of Boko Haram were largely Muslims, not Christians. Boko Haram started as a revolt by extreme Muslims against conventional Muslims like me. Look at the meaning of Boko Haram — ‘haram’ means forbidden or illicit, ‘boko’ means Western education. So for Boko Haram, I, Lai Mohammed, having gone to school, am an enemy. They realized that Muslims killing one another doesn’t gain traction. When Muslims start killing Christians, it causes uproar. That is the honest truth,” he said.
The former minister also dismissed claims that banditry in Nigeria was driven by religion, describing it instead as a criminal enterprise affecting people of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds. He insisted that records showed Muslims account for the largest number of victims of insurgent attacks in Nigeria.
“The bandits are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. Their victims are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. So how can you now talk about religion? It has nothing to do with religion. We have a spirit of religious tolerance in Nigeria and I challenge anyone to say it is not true. People can hide under anything to commit crime but one, it is not a policy. Number two, the average Nigerian is not bothered about your religion or ethnicity. In Nigeria, the average Muslim and Christian only disagree over money. They won’t disagree over theology. They are more concerned about the economy and ways of life. That is why you have many Christians marrying Muslims and vice versa. So, this narrative about Christian genocide is not true and we must vigorously use public communication to challenge it,” he said.
