United States Senator Ted Cruz has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of focusing on lobbying efforts in Washington instead of addressing concerns over the alleged persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Republican lawmaker claimed that rather than responding to concerns raised by American officials and advocacy groups, Nigerian authorities had launched a public relations campaign against their critics.
Cruz’s comments come after he introduced the proposed Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, 2025, a bill that seeks to impose sanctions on Nigerian government officials found to be responsible for or complicit in alleged violations of religious freedom, including the enforcement of blasphemy laws and actions linked to violence against Christians.
According to the senator, Nigerian officials have allegedly created conditions that enable violence against Christians and other religious minorities by enforcing blasphemy and Sharia laws while failing to adequately address attacks carried out by extremist groups.
“The US government knows the Nigerian officials responsible for these policies. I have been pushing my bill to sanction them, and President Trump has even ordered military action,” Cruz said.
He further alleged that Nigerian authorities remain confident they can maintain the current situation and expressed support for what he described as President Donald Trump’s response to the issue of alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria.
The Nigerian government has previously maintained that it is addressing insecurity across the country and has consistently rejected claims that violence in Nigeria is driven by an official policy targeting Christians.
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