United States Senator Ted Cruz has alleged that Nigerian government officials are complicit in widespread violence against Christians, claiming that more than 50,000 have been killed across the country since 2009.
Cruz made the remarks during a congressional address on Tuesday, warning that Nigeria has become the deadliest place in the world for Christians on the basis of their faith.
“More Christians are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world,” he said. “Since 2009, Islamist jihadists have murdered more than 50,000 Christians in Nigeria, while over 20,000 churches, schools and religious institutions have been destroyed.”
The senator also referenced recent incidents during the Easter period, noting that several Christians were reportedly killed or kidnapped.
In a strongly worded statement, Cruz accused Nigerian authorities at both federal and state levels of failing to take decisive action, and in some cases allegedly enabling the violence.
“Nigerian officials have been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” he said, pointing to the existence of blasphemy and Sharia laws in some northern states, which he argued contribute to religious tensions.
Cruz further criticised the federal government for what he described as a pattern of inaction in the face of escalating attacks.
“The government looks the other way to Islamic violence. The result is, unsurprisingly, yet more violence,” he added.
The US lawmaker revealed that he had previously introduced legislation – the Nigerian Religious Freedom Accountability Act – aimed at placing Nigeria back on the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) over religious freedom violations, alongside sanctions targeting officials linked to abuses.
He argued that US authorities have sufficient information to identify individuals responsible and should take stronger measures to hold them accountable.
Cruz also disclosed that he had met with a delegation of Nigerian security officials last year, during which they pledged to address the crisis.
“I told them I would judge that commitment by results. Those results have yet to materialise,” he said.
The senator referenced actions by President Donald Trump, noting that the United States had previously designated Nigeria under the CPC category and taken steps to target extremist groups, including ISIS affiliates, in response to attacks on Christians.
While acknowledging that Nigerian authorities publicly welcomed some of the US interventions, Cruz criticised what he described as contradictory responses from officials.
“I find their statements to be somewhere between hypocritical and infuriating,” he said.
He called for a reassessment of the current situation, urging the US government to intensify efforts to curb the violence and prevent further loss of lives.
Watch him s remarks here