Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas has introduced new legislation urging the U.S. State Department to classify Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) — a designation reserved for nations that commit or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom.
Cruz, who announced the bill via his official X account, argued that the Nigerian government has “ignored and even facilitated the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists”, calling for urgent international accountability.
“It’s time to hold those responsible accountable,” the senator wrote, adding that the situation in Nigeria represents one of the world’s most overlooked humanitarian crises.
United States Senator. Photo credit: Politico
The CPC designation, if approved, would allow Washington to impose targeted sanctions, restrict aid, and apply diplomatic pressure against the Nigerian government for what the U.S. legislator described as “systematic religious persecution”.
READ MORE: US Senator Ted Cruz — Nigerian Leaders Sponsoring Massacre of Christians by Islamic Jihadists
The move follows years of growing concern among American lawmakers and religious freedom advocates over the killings of Christians, attacks on churches, and abductions of clergy across Nigeria’s northern and central regions.
According to data referenced in a commentary by Andrea M. Picciotti-Bayer, thousands of Christians have been killed, entire villages wiped out, and women and children kidnapped by Islamist militants, with little to no accountability from authorities.
She wrote that, “This is not a distant tragedy — it is a humanitarian crisis that demands an American response grounded in both principle and prudence.”
Senator Cruz’s action comes after the Biden administration removed Nigeria from the CPC list in 2021, a decision that drew heavy criticism from human rights organisations and religious bodies worldwide.
Critics argue that the removal ignored mounting evidence of religiously motivated attacks by groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), as well as reports of government inaction and complicity.
In response, several top Nigerian officials have rebuked Cruz’s comments, accusing him of misrepresenting the country’s security realities.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu described the senator’s statement as “a mischaracterisation of Nigeria’s complex security and religious freedom landscape”, while Minister of Information Mohammed Idris rejected the claim outright, insisting that “Nigeria is a very tolerant country.”
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga also dismissed the senator’s remarks as “malicious” and “contrived lies”, maintaining that the Nigerian government does not side with extremists.
However, policy analysts argue that Cruz’s concerns reflect long-standing fears voiced by Nigerians themselves, including past leaders who admitted that sympathisers of Boko Haram existed within the corridors of power.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan had once revealed that some members of his government and security agencies were aiding the insurgents, while ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2019 described Boko Haram as part of a wider “Fulanisation and Islamisation agenda”.
Despite these warnings, the current administration continues to downplay the religious dimensions of the crisis, often attributing the violence to poverty, unemployment, or communal disputes.
Meanwhile, human rights organisations say the numbers tell a grim story. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that the Boko Haram insurgency alone had claimed over 350,000 lives by 2021, with thousands more displaced or living in fear.
In his latest statement, Senator Cruz said, “Unfortunately, the manner of the reaction to Sen. Cruz shows that, two decades on, the Nigerian elite is not ready to face the truth about this barbaric group.”
Observers say the senator’s bill, if passed, could intensify diplomatic tensions between Abuja and Washington but may also push Nigeria’s government to address long-ignored violations of religious freedom.
For now, Cruz’s proposal has reignited a global conversation about faith, justice, and accountability — one that places Nigeria’s human rights record back under the world’s microscope.
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