United States Senator Ted Cruz has alleged that some Nigerian officials are complicit in violence targeting Christians, raising the concern during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on counterterrorism in Africa.
Speaking at the hearing, Cruz claimed that Nigeria accounts for the highest number of Christians killed for their faith globally, alleging that more than 50,000 deaths and the destruction of over 20,000 churches, schools, and religious institutions have occurred since 2009.
“Nigerian officials have been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” he stated, while also criticising what he described as a slow response by authorities to persistent security challenges.
The lawmaker partly linked the violence to the implementation of Sharia law in some northern states and questioned the effectiveness of Nigeria’s efforts to curb attacks.
Cruz referenced previous engagements with Nigerian defence and security officials, noting that assurances given to address the crisis had yet to yield significant results.
“I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialise,” he said.
The senator had earlier introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, aimed at holding Nigerian officials accountable for alleged failures in protecting religious freedom.
Responding at the hearing, a senior official at the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, Nick Checker, acknowledged concerns but pointed to signs of progress in Nigeria’s security response.
According to him, Nigeria has taken steps including restructuring its security leadership, increasing troop recruitment, deploying forest guards to affected areas, and improving prosecution of terrorism-related cases.
He also highlighted growing cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, including the establishment of a bilateral working group following discussions involving Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and US Under-Secretary of State, Allison Hooker.
“We’ve seen positive steps by the Nigerians, but certainly more can be done,” Checker said, adding that the US would continue to engage Nigerian authorities to strengthen security efforts.
Elijah Adeyemi
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