Friday, April 24, 2026 - Ted Cruz, a United States senator, has claimed that Nigerian government officials are involved in attacks against Christians in the country.
Cruz made the allegation during a Senate Foreign Relations
subcommittee hearing focused on the United States counterterrorism strategy in
Africa on Tuesday, April 21.
Speaking at the hearing, Cruz claimed that Nigeria records
the highest number of Christians k!lled because of their faith anywhere in the
world. He said since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians had been k!lled,
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 linked part of the violence to the operation of Sharia
law in some northern states, and also criticised Nigerian authorities, saying
their response to insecurity in the country had been slow.
Cruz recalled a previous meeting with Nigerian defence 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 materialise,” he said.
The senator also revealed that in October, he introduced the
Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025.
He said the bill is designed to hold Nigerian government
officials accountable over alleged involvement in attacks on Christians.
During the session, Cruz questioned a senior official of the
US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, Nick Checker, on whether
engagements between Nigeria and the United States had led to meaningful
progress, especially after actions taken under US President Donald Trump.
In his response, Checker said Nigeria had shown some level
of cooperation with the United States.
“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.
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.
Meanwhile, former information Minister under the late
President Muhammadu Buhari, Lai Mohammed, said in United Kingdom
yesterday, April 22, that more Muslims than Christians were being k!lled by
Boko Haram.
While fielding questions from students of Abbey College,
Cambridge, the former minister said narratives of a “Christian gen0cide” 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 gen0cide 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 added.
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 realised that Muslims k!lling one another doesn’t gain
traction. When Muslims start k!lling 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.
He said: “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.”
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