Federal Government Engages with the United States Over Allegations of State-Backed Christian Genocide
The Federal Government has initiated discussions with the United States over allegations of state-backed Christian genocide in Nigeria. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reached out to U.S. authorities to address these claims, which have been made by some lawmakers.
On September 11, Republican Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz, introduced a bill in the US Senate titled, “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 (S.2747).” This legislation aims to restore Nigeria’s status as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act and to impose accountability measures on government officials.
Nigeria was first designated as a CPC in December 2020 under the Trump administration. However, the Biden administration removed the designation in November 2021, citing that the Federal Government was not directly involved in severe religious freedom violations.
Cruz’s move is based on what he describes as the systematic persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria by Islamist Boko Haram and Fulani militants, along with alleged government complicity through weak enforcement and blasphemy laws.
Details of the Bill
According to Cruz, the bill aims to “hold accountable Nigerian officials who facilitate Islamist jihadist violence and the imposition of blasphemy laws.” It mandates executive action and outlines enforcement tools, including visa bans, asset freezes, and restrictions on access to U.S. visas or financial assistance for implicated Nigerian officials.
The bill also directs the US State Department to submit annual reports to Congress on Nigeria’s religious freedom record, including progress on prosecuting perpetrators. In addition, it proposes withholding certain aid, arms sales, or development assistance to Nigeria until compliance is demonstrated.
While the bill had yet to be assigned to any US Senate committee for deliberation, a group of five Republican senators, led by Senator Ted Budd, sent a joint letter to US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on September 12, supporting Cruz’s proposal and urging the US government to re-designate Nigeria as a CPC.
In the letter, the senators alleged that more than 52,000 Christians had been killed in Nigeria since 2009, while over 20,000 churches and Christian institutions had been destroyed or attacked.
Responses from U.S. Lawmakers
On Monday, a member of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Riley Moore, sent a solo letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging immediate action to address what he described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria. He described Nigeria as “the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian,” accusing the Federal Government of complicity through inaction and corruption.
The Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), also supported his colleagues on X (formerly Twitter), saying decisive action was long overdue on what he called a “tragedy and disgrace.” He emphasized that faith should never be a death sentence and called for action against the targeting of Christians in countries like Nigeria.
As of Friday, the US government had not issued any formal statement on the lawmakers’ request, while the Department of State had yet to respond to inquiries regarding the country’s next line of action. Messages sent to the offices of Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Riley Moore had yet to receive any response.
Federal Government’s Counter-Moves
Speaking to Sunday PUNCH, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the Federal Government had taken multiple diplomatic steps to correct the misrepresentations. Ebienfa stated that the government had consistently engaged US counterparts through official diplomatic channels.
He mentioned that in April 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar commissioned a study on killings in Nigeria that produced an unbiased report. The report was forwarded to all diplomatic missions abroad to engage foreign governments with facts, dismissing allegations of targeted killings.
The House of Representatives had on Wednesday unanimously adopted a motion rejecting the US Senate narrative. The motion directed key committees to submit a formal diplomatic protest to the sponsors of the bill within 21 days. The House also urged the formation of a Nigeria–US joint fact-finding mission on religious freedom and called on Nigerian security agencies and the National Human Rights Commission to submit a consolidated report on religion-linked violence since 2023.
Presidency Begins Campaign on Foreign Media
Meanwhile, a Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, hinted at ongoing efforts by the Presidency to counter what he described as “Western propaganda” against the current administration. During an appearance on France 24’s Eye on Africa programme, Bwala linked the renewed genocide allegations against Nigeria to the country’s foreign policy stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Bwala suggested that such narratives were part of a deliberate attempt to inflame religious tension in Nigeria. He acknowledged that Boko Haram’s early operations had specifically targeted Christians and churches but said the insurgents had since expanded their attacks to include Nigerians of all faiths.
