U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and a bipartisan group of House lawmakers have intensified pressure on Nigeria over the persecution of Christians, with Senator Cruz introducing legislation that would impose targeted sanctions on Nigerian government officials found to be enabling Islamist violence and the enforcement of blasphemy laws.
Senator Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, warning that “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.” He declared it “long past time to impose real costs on the Nigerian officials who facilitate these activities.”
The legislation would impose targeted sanctions against Nigerian officials who facilitate violence against Christians and other religious minorities, including through Islamist terrorist groups, as well as against officials who enforce sharia and blasphemy laws.
On the House side, Representatives Riley Moore of West Virginia and Chris Smith of New Jersey, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee — introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, which would require the U.S. Secretary of State to compile and submit to Congress a comprehensive report on U.S. efforts to address ongoing religious persecution and mass atrocities against Christians in Nigeria.
Lawmakers cited estimates that between 50,000 and 125,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria between 2009 and 2025, and that more than 19,000 churches have been attacked or destroyed during that period. According to the bill’s findings, Nigeria accounts for 72 percent of all Christians martyred worldwide, based on Open Doors’ 2026 Watch List.
Rep. Smith noted that the Nigerian government’s denial of religious persecution has enabled violence to continue, arguing that the U.S. now has a “responsibility to do its due diligence in ensuring that the Nigerian government is taking the proper steps to address and punish the systemic violence.”
The legislative push follows a formal congressional investigation ordered by President Donald Trump. Investigators from the House Appropriations and Foreign Affairs Committees traveled to Nigeria, met with internally displaced persons, heard from religious leaders, and engaged with senior Nigerian government officials before delivering a joint report to the White House in February 2026.
Among the report’s recommendations, lawmakers urged the U.S. government to withhold certain funds pending demonstrable action by Nigeria to stop violence against Christians, and called for cooperation with international partners including France, Hungary, and the United Kingdom to end the atrocities.
In late 2025, President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under U.S. international religious freedom law, and authorized restrictions on visas for Nigerians believed to be involved in mass killings and violence against Christians.
Not all observers agree with the framing. Some analysts argue that focusing on religious identity oversimplifies the conflict, noting that Islamist militants attack communities of all faiths and that governance failures, poverty, and land disputes also drive much of the violence. Nigeria’s government has stressed that it is fighting terrorism and protecting all citizens, rejecting claims that it tolerates systematic persecution.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has also cautioned that calls to repeal sharia and blasphemy laws could heighten religious tension and destabilize the country, advocating instead for a new constitutional framework to address Nigeria’s complex religious and ethnic realities.