Ted Cruz Alleges Nigeria Complicity in Attacks

A United States senator has levelled serious allegations against Nigerian government officials, accusing them of complicity in attacks against Christians, even as a former Nigerian minister dismissed claims of religious genocide as “fake news” during a separate engagement in the United Kingdom.

Senator Ted Cruz made the assertion during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing focused on United States counterterrorism strategy in Africa on Tuesday. “Nigerian officials had been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” Cruz stated.

The lawmaker claimed that Nigeria records the highest number of Christians killed because of their faith anywhere in the world. He alleged that since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians had been killed, while over 20,000 churches, schools and other religious buildings had been destroyed.

Cruz linked part of the violence to the operation of Sharia law in some northern states and criticised Nigerian authorities, saying their response to insecurity had been slow. He recalled a previous meeting with Nigerian defence and security officials where assurances were given that the violence would be addressed. “I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialise,” he said.

The senator revealed that in October, he introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a bill designed to hold Nigerian government officials accountable over alleged involvement in attacks on Christians.

During the session, Cruz questioned Nick Checker, a senior official of the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, on whether engagements between Nigeria and the United States had yielded meaningful progress. Checker responded that Nigeria had shown some level of cooperation, pointing to changes in the country’s security structure, including leadership adjustments, recruitment of more troops, and deployment of forest guards to troubled areas.

“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,” Checker said. He added that there had been an increase in the prosecution of suspected terrorists and noted the creation of a bilateral high-level working group after discussions between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and US Under Secretary of State, Allison Hooker. “We’ve seen positive steps by the Nigerians, but certainly more can be done,” Checker added.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, speaking in the United Kingdom yesterday while fielding questions from students of Abbey College, Cambridge, dismissed claims of targeted genocide against Christians. “People say that there is religious persecution in Nigeria and that there is genocide against Christians. It’s not true. It is fake news,” Mohammed said.

He argued that Nigeria’s security challenges were complex and not driven by a deliberate campaign to eliminate any religious group. Mohammed stated that 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,” he explained.

The former minister insisted that records showed Muslims account for the largest number of victims of insurgent attacks in Nigeria. He also dismissed claims that banditry was driven by religion, describing it instead as a criminal enterprise affecting people of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds. “The bandits are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. Their victims are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. So how can you now talk about religion?” he said.

Mohammed maintained that religious tolerance remains strong in Nigeria, stating, “In Nigeria, the average Muslim and Christian only disagree over money. They won’t disagree over theology.”