By Musa Baba Adamu
Senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila, has accused United States Senator Ted Cruz of promoting a misleading narrative about Nigeria’s security situation, warning that such rhetoric could fuel religious tensions and undermine peace efforts.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Kawu Sumaila criticised Cruz’s reported calls for Nigeria to be redesignated as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), arguing that the American lawmaker’s position misrepresents the country’s security realities.
The senator said the previous decision by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump to remove Nigeria from the CPC list was based on “verified progress and strategic diplomatic engagement.”
He alleged that Senator Cruz’s campaign to relabel Nigeria “appears to be driven not by an objective assessment of the facts, but by a narrative that oversimplifies Nigeria’s security challenges and portrays them primarily through a religious lens.”
According to Kawu Sumaila, reducing Nigeria’s security crisis to a religious conflict ignores the realities on the ground, where terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and insurgency affect people of all faiths.
“By presenting Nigeria’s multifaceted security crisis—which affects Muslims, Christians, and adherents of other faiths alike—as a purely religious conflict, Senator Cruz contributes to a distorted international perception of the country,” he said.
The lawmaker warned that such a narrative “has the potential to inflame tensions, undermine ongoing peace efforts, and encourage external policies that may not reflect Nigeria’s actual circumstances.”
He urged Christians in Nigeria and across the world to “carefully evaluate the facts and reject narratives that promote division,” adding that genuine friends of Nigeria should support “peace, reconciliation, sustainable development, interfaith cooperation, and respect for the country’s sovereignty.”
Kawu Sumaila also praised members of the Nigerian security forces, noting that Christians and Muslims continue to serve together in the fight against terrorists, insurgents, kidnappers and bandits.
“Nigeria’s security forces, comprising both Christians and Muslims, continue to serve together in the fight against terrorists, insurgents, kidnappers, and bandits who indiscriminately attack churches, mosques, markets, schools, and rural communities,” he said.
He maintained that overlooking the sacrifices of security personnel in favour of “a divisive political narrative does a disservice to every Nigerian who has suffered from insecurity.”
The senator reaffirmed Nigeria’s sovereignty, insisting that the country’s strength lies in “the unity and resilience of its diverse people.”
He concluded by calling on “the international community, diplomatic partners, media organisations, and all well-meaning Nigerians regardless of religion or ethnicity to reject divisive rhetoric and support genuine efforts aimed at promoting peace, national unity, security, and sustainable development.”
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
