Ted Cruz’s narrative on Nigeria’s insecurity misleading — Sen. Sumaila

Senator Kawu Sumaila, representing Kano South, has urged United States Senator Ted Cruz to stop portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a religious conflict, warning that such narratives could deepen divisions and undermine ongoing peace efforts.

Sumaila’s remarks followed Cruz’s criticism of the Nigerian government’s decision to engage DCI Group, a United States-based public affairs and lobbying firm, to communicate its efforts to protect Christians and tackle insecurity.

The Nigerian government retained the firm under a $9 million contract signed in December after the country was designated a “Country of Particular Concern” by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

In a post on X, Cruz alleged that Nigerian authorities had created conditions that enable violence against Christians and other religious minorities through the enforcement of blasphemy and Sharia laws while failing to effectively tackle attacks by extremist groups.

He also accused the Federal Government of focusing on a public relations campaign instead of addressing concerns raised by US lawmakers over the country’s security situation.

Reacting in a statement issued on Thursday, Sumaila said Cruz’s repeated calls for Nigeria to be redesignated as a Country of Particular Concern failed to reflect the complex realities of the nation’s security challenges.

According to the senator, the US lawmaker’s position oversimplifies Nigeria’s security crisis by presenting it mainly as persecution of Christians.

“Senator Cruz’s continued campaign to re-label Nigeria appears to be driven not by an objective assessment of the facts, but by a narrative that oversimplifies Nigeria’s security challenges and portrays them primarily through a religious lens,” the statement read.

“By presenting Nigeria’s multifaceted security crisis, which affects Muslims, Christians and adherents of other faiths alike, as a purely religious conflict, Senator Cruz contributes to a distorted international perception of the country.”

Sumaila warned that such rhetoric could inflame religious tensions, undermine ongoing peace initiatives and encourage foreign policies that do not accurately reflect the realities on the ground.

He called on Christians in Nigeria and around the world to reject narratives capable of promoting religious division, stressing that genuine friends of the country should support peace, reconciliation and interfaith cooperation.

“Any rhetoric that heightens religious polarisation ultimately places all Nigerians at greater risk, regardless of faith,” he said.

The senator noted that members of Nigeria’s security agencies, made up of Christians and Muslims, continue to work together in confronting terrorism, insurgency, banditry and kidnapping across the country.

He added that victims of insecurity include worshippers in churches and mosques, as well as residents of schools, markets and rural communities, irrespective of their religious affiliation.

Sumaila further urged the international community, diplomatic partners, media organisations and Nigerians to reject divisive narratives and support initiatives that promote peace, national unity, security and sustainable development.

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