United States Senator Ted Cruz has vowed to push for sanctions against Nigerian officials following President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) over alleged persecution of Christians.
Cruz, a leading Republican lawmaker and sponsor of the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, said the next step after the CPC designation is to hold responsible officials in Nigeria accountable.
In a statement posted on his official X handle on Tuesday, Cruz thanked Trump for “fighting to stop the murder of Christians in Nigeria” and pledged to name and shame Nigerian officials he claims are complicit in religious persecution.
“I’ve been pushing legislation to designate Nigeria a CPC and to impose sanctions on the Nigerian officials responsible,” Cruz said.
“Thank you to President Trump for his leadership in imposing the designation, and more broadly, for fighting to stop the murder of Christians in Nigeria. Now we should take the next step and hold Nigerian officials accountable.”
Trump, in a statement over the weekend, accused Nigerian authorities of ignoring what he described as a “mass slaughter” of Christians, warning that the United States could take military action if Nigeria fails to address the alleged crisis.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump declared via Truth Social.
He also directed key congressional allies — Riley Moore and Tom Cole — to investigate the alleged killings and report back to the White House.
However, the Nigerian government dismissed the CPC designation and Trump’s comments as “false and divisive.”
Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris said the claim of a Christian genocide in Nigeria was a gross distortion of the country’s security challenges, noting that both Muslims and Christians have suffered from terrorist attacks.
“Portraying Nigeria’s insecurity as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is inaccurate and harmful,” Idris said.
“Extremists have attacked citizens of all faiths — Muslims, Christians, and non-religious Nigerians alike.”
The minister added that Nigerian security forces have killed over 13,500 terrorists, rescued nearly 10,000 hostages, and secured more than 700 convictions of Boko Haram suspects between May 2023 and February 2025.
He insisted the government remains committed to defeating terrorism “in all its forms” and urged the international community to avoid narratives that could inflame sectarian tensions.
