The Nigerian Presidency has dismissed allegations by United States Senator Ted Cruz that government officials are complicit in the killing of Christians, describing the claims as false and inflammatory.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, said Cruz’s assertions amounted to “malicious, contrived lies,” insisting that Nigeria is not facing a religious war.
“Senator, stop these malicious, contrived lies against my country. We do not have a religious war in my country,” Onanuga posted on X on Saturday. “Boko Haram terrorists attack everyone, farmers, soldiers, and villagers, while bandits in the North-West even kill Muslims in mosques. Christians are not targeted. Nigeria enjoys religious harmony.”
Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, which proposes sanctions against Nigerian officials accused of ignoring or facilitating attacks on Christians. The bill also calls on the US Secretary of State to classify Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” on religious freedom, while maintaining terror designations for Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa.
Defending his bill, Cruz cited reports of renewed Boko Haram violence in Borno State that forced more than 5,000 residents of Kirawa to flee into Cameroon. “Officials in Nigeria are ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists,” Cruz alleged. “It’s time to hold those responsible accountable.”
President Tinubu, speaking in Owerri, Imo State, also rejected what he described as unfounded allegations of religious genocide. He said Nigeria’s strength lies in its cultural and religious diversity, stressing that “no religion is under threat” in the country.
For now, Cruz’s proposal remains stalled in Washington, caught in the wider legislative gridlock triggered by the US government shutdown.
