A United States senator, Ted Cruz, has accused Nigerian government officials of involvement in attacks against Christians in the country.

Cruz made the allegation during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing focused on the United States counterterrorism strategy in Africa on Tuesday.

Efforts to get the federal government’s reaction yesterday proved abortive but former Information Minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Lai Mohammed, said in United Kingdom yesterday that more Muslims than Christians were being killed by Boko Haram.

However, speaking at the hearing, the lawmaker claimed that Nigeria records the highest number of Christians killed because of their faith anywhere in the world.

He said since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians had been killed, while over 20,000 churches, schools and other religious buildings had been destroyed.

“Nigerian officials had been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” Cruz said.

He linked part of the violence to the operation of Sharia law in some northern states, and also criticised Nigerian authorities, saying their response to insecurity in the country had been slow.

Cruz recalled a previous meeting with Nigerian defence and security officials, where assurances were given that the violence would be addressed.

However, he said those promises have not yet produced results.

I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialise,” he said.

The senator also revealed that in October, he introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025.

According to him, the bill is designed to hold Nigerian government officials accountable over alleged involvement in attacks on Christians.

During the session, Cruz questioned a senior official of the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, Nick Checker, on whether engagements between Nigeria and the United States had led to meaningful progress, especially after actions taken under US President Donald Trump.

In his response, Checker said Nigeria had shown some level of cooperation with the United States, pointed 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,” he said.

He added that there had been an increase in the prosecution of suspected terrorists, mentioning 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.

Checker noted further that recent support from the United States to Nigerian security forces showed continued cooperation between both countries.

“We’ve seen positive steps by the Nigerians, but certainly more can be done,” Checker said, adding that the US would continue to push for further action.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed claims of a targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria, saying insurgent groups have killed more Muslims than Christians.

Mohammed spoke in the United Kingdom yesterday, while fielding questions from students of Abbey College, Cambridge.

The session was organised to give students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to engage on developments in Nigeria, particularly governance and youth participation in politics.

Responding to a question on religious persecution, especially against Christians, the former minister said narratives of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria were inaccurate.

“There should be more understanding on the part of the developed world. Now, people say that there is religious persecution in Nigeria and that there is genocide against Christians. It’s not true. It is fake news,” he said.

Mohammed argued that Nigeria’s security challenges were complex and not driven by a deliberate campaign to eliminate any religious group.

“Nigeria as a country has challenges that will not be resolved by genocide against any religion,” he added.

He said 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.

“Look at the meaning of Boko Haram — ‘haram’ means forbidden or illicit, ‘boko’ means Western education. So for Boko Haram, I, Lai Mohammed, having gone to school, am an enemy.

“They realised that Muslims killing one another doesn’t gain traction. When Muslims start killing Christians, it causes uproar. That is the honest truth,” he said.

The former minister also dismissed claims that banditry in Nigeria was driven by religion, describing it instead as a criminal enterprise affecting people of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds.

He insisted that records showed Muslims account for the largest number of victims of insurgent attacks in Nigeria.

He said: “The bandits are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. Their victims are Muslims, they are Hausa-Fulanis. So how can you now talk about religion? It has nothing to do with religion.

“We have a spirit of religious tolerance in Nigeria and I challenge anyone to say it is not true. People can hide under anything to commit crime but one, it is not a policy. Number two, the average Nigerian is not bothered about your religion or ethnicity.

“In Nigeria, the average Muslim and Christian only disagree over money. They won’t disagree over theology. They are more concerned about the economy and ways of life. That is why you have many Christians marrying Muslims and vice versa.

“So, this narrative about Christian genocide is not true and we must vigorously use public communication to challenge it.” (Vanguard)

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