United States Senator, Ted Cruz, has accused Nigerian authorities of being complicit in what he described as widespread killings of Christians across the country.
He made the allegation on Tuesday while speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing focused on the United States’ counterterrorism efforts in Africa.
During his remarks, Cruz claimed that Nigeria records the highest number of Christians killed because of their faith worldwide.
He alleged that more than 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009, with over 20,000 churches, schools, and religious centres destroyed.
“Nigerian officials had been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” Cruz said.
He linked part of the violence to the enforcement of Sharia law in some northern states and criticised Nigerian authorities for what he described as a slow and inadequate response to ongoing security challenges.
Cruz also recalled a previous engagement with Nigerian defence and security officials, noting that their promises to curb the violence have yet to yield concrete outcomes.
“I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialise,” he said.
In October, the lawmaker introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, which he said is designed to hold Nigerian government officials accountable over alleged involvement in attacks on Christians.
At the hearing, Cruz questioned Nick Checker, a senior official in the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, on whether diplomatic engagements between both countries had led to meaningful progress, especially following measures taken under US President Donald Trump.
Responding, Checker said Nigeria has demonstrated some level of cooperation with US demands since the designation was made, pointing to adjustments in the country’s security framework.
“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.
Checker further highlighted increased prosecution of terrorism suspects and the creation of a bilateral high-level working group after discussions between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and US Under-Secretary of State, Allison Hooker.
He added that continued US assistance to Nigerian security forces reflects ongoing collaboration between both nations.
“We’ve seen positive steps by the Nigerians, but certainly more can be done,” Checker said, noting that Washington would continue to push for stronger action.
