US Senator Ted Cruz alleges Nigerian officials complicit in Christian killings
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
US Senator Ted Cruz stated on Tuesday during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing that Nigerian officials are complicit in facilitating the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria. He claimed that since 2009, over 50,000 Christians have been killed and more than 20,000 churches, schools, and religious institutions destroyed, making Nigeria the country with the highest number of Christians killed for their faith globally. Cruz attributed some of the violence to the implementation of Sharia law in northern states and criticized Nigerian authorities for a slow response to security challenges. He referenced a previous meeting with Nigerian defense and security officials, noting that their assurances to end the violence had not materialized. In October, Senator Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, aimed at holding Nigerian government officials accountable for alleged complicity in attacks on Christians. During the hearing, Cruz questioned Nick Checker, a senior official at the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, about the effectiveness of engagements between the two countries. Checker responded that Nigeria has shown cooperation with US requests, citing leadership changes in Nigerian security services, recruitment of additional troops, deployment of forest guards, increased prosecution of terrorism suspects, and the establishment of a bilateral high-level working group. He added that recent US support for Nigerian security
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