Ted Cruz, a senator from the United States, has said that Nigerian government officials are behind attacks against Christians in the country.
On Tuesday, Cruz made the claim during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee meeting that was centered on the US’s strategy for fighting terrorism in Africa.
Yesterday’s attempts to get the federal government to respond failed, but Lai Mohammed, who was the media minister under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, declared in the UK that Boko Haram was killing more Muslims than Christians, according to Vanguard.
The congressman did say, though, that Nigeria has the most Christians slain for their beliefs of any country in the world.
He added that since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians had been slain and more than 20,000 churches, schools, and other religious buildings had been demolished.
Cruz said, “Unfortunately, Nigerian officials had been complicit in making these crimes happen.”
He said that some of the violence was caused by Sharia law being in effect in some northern regions. He also criticized the Nigerian government for being reluctant to respond to the country’s security problems.
Cruz remembered meeting with Nigerian defense and security officials before, when they promised that the violence would be dealt with.
But he acknowledged those promises haven’t worked yet.
“I told them I would assess how committed they were by the results. He said, “Those results have not yet come to pass.”
The senator further said that in October he introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025.
He said that the bill is meant to make Nigerian government officials responsible for their alleged complicity in attacks on Christians.
Cruz asked Nick Checker, a high-ranking official in the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, if the US and Nigeria had made any real progress since President Donald Trump took office.
Checker indicated that Nigeria had worked with the United States to some extent. He highlighted to improvements in the country’s security apparatus, including as new commanders, additional troops being recruited, and forest guards being sent to areas that were having difficulties.
He continued, “We’ve seen some good changes, like new leaders in Nigerian security services, more troops being recruited, and forest guards being sent to areas where violence has happened.”
He also said that there had been more prosecutions of suspected terrorists. He talked about how Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and US Under Secretary of State, Allison Hooker, had talked and set up a bilateral high-level working group.
Checker also said that the US’s recent help to Nigerian security forces indicated that the two countries were still working together.
Checker said, “The Nigerians have made some good progress, but there is still more to be done.” He also stressed that the US would keep pushing for greater action.
Lai Mohammed says Boko Haram is killing more Muslims than Christians.
Lai Mohammed, who used to be the Minister of Information and Culture, has said that reports of a targeted genocide against Christians in Nigeria are false. He says that militant groups have killed more Muslims than Christians.
Yesterday, Mohammed spoke in the UK and answered questions from students at Abbey College in Cambridge.
The workshop was set up so that students from all backgrounds could talk about what’s going on in Nigeria, especially when it comes to governance and getting young people involved in politics.
When asked about religious persecution, notably against Christians, the former minister replied that stories of a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria were not true.
“The developed world needs to be more understanding. People now say that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted for their religion and that there is genocide against them. That isn’t accurate. He said, “It’s fake news.”
Mohammed said that Nigeria’s security problems were complicated and not caused by a planned effort to get rid of any religious minority.
He went on to say, “Genocide against any religion will not solve Nigeria’s problems.”
He added that Boko Haram first appeared as a group that attacked Muslims who accepted Western education, and that most of the first victims were Muslims.
“At first, most of the people who were hurt by Boko Haram were Muslims, not Christians.” Boko Haram originated as a rebellion by very religious Muslims against normal Muslims like me.
“Look at the meaning of Boko Haram: ‘haram’ means illegal or banned, and ‘boko’ signifies Western education. So for Boko Haram, I, Lai Mohammed, am an enemy because I went to school.
“They understood that Muslims killing each other doesn’t help. When Muslims kill Christians, it makes a lot of noise. He answered, “That is the honest truth.”
The former minister also said that assertions that banditry in Nigeria was caused by religion were false. Instead, he called it a criminal business that hurt people of the same ethnic and religious backgrounds.
He said that records reveal that Muslims are the most common victims of rebel attacks in Nigeria.
He responded, “The thieves are Muslims. They are Hausa-Fulanis.” Muslims are their victims, and they are Hausa-Fulanis. So, how can you talk about religion now? It has nothing to do with faith.
“Anyone who says otherwise is wrong. We have a spirit of religious tolerance in Nigeria.” People can hide behind anything to commit a crime, but not one policy. Second, the average Nigerian doesn’t care about your race or religion.
“Most Muslims and Christians in Nigeria only disagree about money. They won’t argue over religion. They care more about the economy and how people live. That is why there are so many Muslims and Christians who marry each other.
“This story about the genocide of Christians is not true, and we need to use public communication to fight it.”
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