Sen. Cruz Introduces Bill Against Persecution of Nigerian Christians

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025. The bill protects Christians and other religious minorities being persecuted in Nigeria by holding accountable Nigerian officials who facilitate Islamist jihadist violence and the imposition of blasphemy laws.

Sen. Cruz said, "Nigerian Christians are being targeted and executed for their faith by Islamist terrorist groups, and are being forced to submit to sharia law and blasphemy laws across Nigeria. It is long past time to impose real costs on the Nigerian officials who facilitate these activities, and my Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act uses new and existing tools to do exactly that. I urge my colleagues to advance this critical legislation expeditiously."

Read the full text of the bill here.

BACKGROUND

Religious persecution and violence against Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria is endemic, driven in significant part by Islamist jihadism and institutionalized sharia law in large parts of the country. Since 2009, over 52,000 Nigerian Christians have been murdered by jihadists and over 20,000 Christian churches and religious-based institutions have been destroyed, and on June 13 more than 200 Christians were murdered by Fulani jihadists in a Nigerian village. Boko Haram, which kidnapped over 270 mostly Christian schoolgirls in 2014, remains active. Twelve state governments enforce sharia law, including blasphemy laws, and the federal government also criminalizes blasphemy nationwide.

The Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 specifically will:

• Impose targeted sanctions against Nigerian officials who facilitate violence against Christians and other religious minorities, including by Islamist terrorist groups.
• Impose targeted sanctions against Nigerian officials who enforce sharia and blasphemy laws.
• Require the Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
• Require the Secretary of State to ensure that Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa remain designated as Entities of Particular Concern.