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Texas Senator Ted Cruz applauds Trump for redesignating Nigeria as Country of Concern
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has praised former U.S. President Donald Trump for redesignating Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” calling the decision a bold and necessary step toward addressing the persecution of Christians in the country.
Trump had announced the designation on Friday via his Truth Social platform, stating that Christianity was under an “existential threat” in Nigeria, blaming radical Islamists for widespread killings.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern,’” Trump wrote.
He added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” pledging that his administration would “stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world.”
Senator Cruz, who had earlier introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, expressed support for Trump’s move, saying it aligns with ongoing efforts to hold accountable those responsible for religious persecution in Nigeria.
The proposed bill seeks to protect Christians and other religious minorities facing persecution and to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials found to be aiding Islamist jihadist violence or enforcing blasphemy laws.
Cruz stated, “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.”
Reacting to the allegation, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the claims, saying some U.S. lawmakers were relying on “inaccurate and misleading data” to push the narrative of a Christian genocide.
Speaking on CNN on Tuesday night, Idris described the allegations as “misleading and unreflective” of Nigeria’s complex security realities, emphasizing that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of terrorist attacks.
“Some of the claims made by officials of the United States are based on faulty data and the assumption that victims of violence are largely Christians.”
“Yes, there are Christians being attacked, but these criminals do not target one religion; they attack both Christians and Muslims, especially in the northern part of the country,” he said.
Also Read: BREAKING: Trump redesignates Nigeria as ‘Country of Particular Concern’ over Christian killings
The minister cautioned that spreading such narratives could embolden criminal groups whose goal is to incite religious tension and create division among Nigerians.
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