Fresh tension as US senator alleges Nigerian officials complicit in attacks on Christians, church burnings

US Senator, Ted Cruz, has accused Nigerian officials of being complicit in the killing of Christians and the destruction of churches across the country.

Cruz made the allegation on Tuesday while speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee hearing on the United States’ approach to counterterrorism in Africa.

The lawmaker said Nigeria records the highest number of Christians killed for their faith globally, citing that more than 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009 by Islamic jihadists.

He added that over 20,000 churches, schools and religious institutions have been destroyed, with many of them burnt to the ground, while several Christians were also kidnapped during the Holy Week period.

He alleged that Nigerian authorities have played a role in enabling the violence, pointing to alleged implementation of Islamist blasphemy and sharia laws in about a dozen states and accusing the federal government of failing to act against extremist attacks.

Cruz said the continued inaction has contributed to the persistence of jihadist violence in the country. He referenced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, a bill he introduced, which seeks to return Nigeria to the Country of Particular Concern list and impose sanctions on officials involved in enforcing such laws.

He added that the United States government is aware of those responsible at both state and federal levels and should take action against them.

The senator also criticised Nigerian officials for denying any role in the crisis, noting that some government figures and individuals linked to the presidency had previously pushed back against his position.

He recalled meeting with top Nigerian defence and security officials, who pledged to address the violence, but said there has been no measurable progress since then.

Cruz further highlighted actions taken by Donald Trump, stating that the United States had adopted a stronger stance by deploying all instruments of statecraft to counter the violence.

He noted that Nigeria was designated under the Country of Particular Concern list and that US authorities carried out operations targeting ISIS militants following attacks on Christians. He added that the Nigerian government had welcomed those actions at the time.

Despite this, the senator described the Nigerian government’s stance as contradictory, maintaining that the scale of attacks against Christians remains severe. He questioned the current state of the crisis and called for clearer steps on how the United States can help curb the killings.

He said, “More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world. Since 2009, Islamic jihadists have murdered more than 50,000 Christians in Nigeria, and more than 20,000 churches, schools, and religious institutions have been destroyed, most burned to the ground. Scores of Christians and several others were kidnapped over Holy Week.

“Nigerian officials have, unfortunately, been complicit in facilitating these atrocities. At the state level, a dozen Nigerian states implement Islamist blasphemy and sharia laws. At the federal level, the government looks the other way at Islamist violence.

“The result is, unsurprisingly, yet more jihadist violence. Last year, I introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, which would require placing Nigeria back on the country of particular concern list and impose sanctions on officials involved in enforcing blasphemy and sharia laws. The U.S. government knows who they are at both the local and federal levels, and they should be held accountable.

“I’m sorry to say that Nigerian officials are, at a minimum, in denial of the government’s role. In October, several officials, including the Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian House and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, as well as a range of anonymous officials linked to the President, directly attacked me for saying that, quote, officials in Nigeria are ignoring or even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamic jihadists. Last year, I met with a delegation of top Nigerian defence and security officials.

“They said they were committed to ending the violence. I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialise.

“President Trump has established that the United States will use all tools of statecraft to counter the violence. He ordered that Nigeria be added to the CPC list, and in December, he ordered the Department of War to target ISIS terrorists in response to their massacre of Christians. I’ll note that the Nigerian government said at the time that it welcomed and, indeed, requested the actions.

“I find their statements to be somewhere between hypocritical and infuriating. In December, the President said that jihadists had been targeting Christians in Nigeria, quote, at levels not seen for many years and even centuries. What does the situation look like now, several months later, and what can and should the United States do to stop the mass murder of Christians?”