Senator Ted Cruz today condemned the Nigerian government’s role in enabling the ongoing persecution and slaughter of Christians, declaring that Washington has identified specific officials responsible and possesses the sanctions and accountability tools to act.
The statement follows the brutal Palm Sunday attack on March 29, 2026, in the Angwan Rukuba community of Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State. Gunmen killed at least 28 people law-abiding citizens attending normal activities highlighting the relentless violence targeting Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“Nigerian government officials have created an environment in which Christians are routinely persecuted and slaughtered, by imposing sharia law and looking the other way at violence,” Sen. Cruz wrote on X. “Those officials should know that the U.S. knows who they are, and has the tools to hold them accountable.”
Sen. Cruz has long led congressional efforts to address the crisis. In September 2025, he introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, which targets Nigerian officials who facilitate Islamist jihadist violence, enforce blasphemy laws, or fail to protect religious minorities. The legislation builds on President Donald J. Trump’s October 2025 designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for severe violations of religious freedom.
“Christians in Nigeria face existential threats churches burned, villages destroyed, families massacred while officials dismiss the religious dimension and provide impunity to attackers,” Sen. Cruz stated. “This is not abstract policy failure. Specific decisions by specific officials have fueled this horror. The United States will no longer turn a blind eye.”
The senator’s warning comes amid bipartisan congressional investigations, fact-finding trips to Nigeria, and reports documenting thousands of Christian deaths at the hands of Fulani militias, Boko Haram, and other extremists.
Despite Nigeria’s constitutional protections for religious freedom, perpetrators have operated with near-total impunity, according to U.S. lawmakers and human rights monitors.
Sen. Cruz urged immediate action, including targeted sanctions, visa restrictions, and withholding of assistance until Nigeria demonstrates concrete steps to protect its citizens and prosecute attackers.
“The blood of these martyrs demands justice,” he added. “Nigerian officials who enable this persecution should know: accountability is coming.”