A United States senator, Ted Cruz, has accused Nigerian officials of being complicit in what he described as the mass killing of Christians across the country.
Cruz made the allegation on Tuesday during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on the US counterterrorism strategy in Africa.
The lawmaker claimed that Nigeria records the highest number of Christians killed for their faith globally, alleging that over 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009, while more than 20,000 churches, schools, and religious institutions have been destroyed.
“Nigerian officials have, unfortunately, been complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” he said.
Cruz partly attributed the violence to the implementation of Sharia law in some northern states and criticised Nigerian authorities for what he described as a slow response to persistent security challenges.
He also recalled previous engagements with Nigerian defence and security officials, noting that assurances given to address the crisis had yet to yield tangible results.
“I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialise,” he added.
The senator referenced his introduction of the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a proposed legislation aimed at holding Nigerian government officials accountable for alleged complicity in attacks on Christians.
During the hearing, Cruz questioned a senior official of the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs on the effectiveness of ongoing engagements between both countries.
In response, the official acknowledged some level of cooperation from Nigeria, citing reforms within the country’s security architecture, including leadership changes, increased troop recruitment, and deployment of forest guards to violence-prone areas.
He also noted progress in prosecuting terrorism-related cases and highlighted the establishment of a bilateral high-level working group following talks between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser and a US Under-Secretary of State.
Despite these developments, the official maintained that more action is required, adding that the United States would continue to push for stronger measures to address insecurity in Nigeria.
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