United States Senator Ted Cruz has introduced a bill in Congress seeking sanctions against Nigerian officials accused of enabling violence and persecution targeting Christians.
The proposed legislation, titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, urges the U.S. government to impose targeted sanctions on officials said to have enforced Sharia and blasphemy laws. It also calls for Nigeria to be reclassified as a “country of particular concern” on religious freedom, and for militant groups Boko Haram and ISIS–West Africa to remain on America’s terror list.
Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas, said Nigerian authorities are “ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists.” He tabled the bill in early September following reports that more than 5,000 residents of Borno State had fled into Cameroon after Boko Haram captured the border town of Kirawa.
“It’s time to hold those responsible accountable,” Cruz said. “My bill would target these officials with powerful sanctions and other tools.”
The push comes amid a partial shutdown of the U.S. government, which has delayed legislative progress on the proposal.
The Nigerian government, however, has repeatedly denied accusations of systemic religious persecution, maintaining that the country’s security challenges stem from criminality and terrorism rather than faith-based divisions.