US Senator Ted Cruz has proposed legislation aimed at protecting Christians in Nigeria, amid rising global concerns about religious persecution in the country.
The bill, titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, seeks to hold Nigerian government officials accountable for “facilitating the mass murder of Christians” and to impose targeted sanctions on those enforcing Sharia and blasphemy laws.
Under the proposed legislation, the US Secretary of State would be required to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” while Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa would remain classified as entities of particular concern. Cruz introduced the bill in early September, shortly before President Donald Trump signed a memo labelling anti-American, anti-capitalist, and anti-Christian views as domestic terrorism.
Cruz defended the bill on Friday, citing reports that more than 5,000 people fled Borno State into neighbouring Cameroon after Boko Haram militants captured the border town of Kirawa.
“Officials in Nigeria are ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists,” he said. “It’s time to hold those responsible accountable. My Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act would target these officials with powerful sanctions and other tools.”
The proposed legislation comes as the federal government of Nigeria has repeatedly rejected claims of widespread anti-Christian persecution. Meanwhile, a legislative impasse in the US has led to a partial government shutdown, temporarily stalling the progress of Cruz’s bill.
