President Donald Trump has consistently championed religious freedom here at home, confronting anti-Christian bias head-on. His administration’s bold actions—standing against violence and vandalism in places of worship, religious discrimination within the federal government and challenging ideologies that seek to silence traditional religious belief—set a standard for moral and decisive leadership.
Building upon that legacy, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025. This legislation will direct the Department of State to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. It is a concrete response to the ongoing, ghastly persecution of Christians in the African nation by radical Islamists.
The Biden administration bizarrely insisted that the surge of violence in Nigeria was a byproduct of climate change. That claim obscured the grim reality: Christians are being hunted in their houses of worship, slaughtered with machetes, and burned. To call this “climate-related” violence was not only inaccurate but was offensive to victims and insulting to truth.
America can and must respond decisively. The tools provided by the IRFA—public condemnation, canceling official meetings, restricting aid—are designed to translate moral outrage into action. Nigeria’s failure to protect Christians from Islamist thugs clearly warrants their use.
Under the Act—and the 2016 Frank Wolf amendment—nations committing “systematic, ongoing and egregious violations” of religious freedom must be designated as Countries of Particular Concern. The State Department is then authorized to take these actions. The International Religious Freedom Act is intended not merely to shame governments but to inspire reform, and Nigeria’s repeated failures demand precisely such a response.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., has championed this cause in the House, holding special hearings and pleading for Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern designation. In July, Smith submitted into the Congressional Record a letter from religious freedom experts urging Nigeria’s designation—reminding the world that Nigeria is the deadliest country for Christians, responsible for more than 69% of faith-based killings globally. In just one decade, over 145 Catholic priests were abducted, and 11 were murdered.
Meanwhile, the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has repeatedly recommended Nigeria for Country of Particular Concern status—yet the State Department under President Joe Biden refused to act. That refusal was not neglect, but a calculated dismissal of the severity of the crisis.
The scale of atrocities is staggering. According to TruthNigeria, at least 7,087 Christians have been massacred in Nigeria in just this year alone. In Benue State, Fulani jihadists recently killed five Christian farmers, including a father and daughter, in coordinated ambushes. Beheadings, rape, and terror grip communities while security forces stand down. Agatu County saw simultaneous machete murders—including a 35-year-old mother and her 15-year-old son—adding to the cascade of horror.
In Southern Kaduna, a church was turned into a slaughterhouse. Fulani militants stormed a worship service on motorcycles, firing indiscriminately: Five worshippers were killed and others abducted. Even local media is beginning to acknowledge what state authorities refuse to: These are not isolated incidents or vague communal clashes—they are organized campaigns of terror.
Cruz’s legislation sends a clear message: Congress will no longer accept half-truths. The bill will nudge his former Senate colleague Marco Rubio, whose long record defending international religious freedom—from China to Cuba and beyond—could significantly amplify this cause.
Cruz has highlighted a deeper principle at stake: In a recent Senate exchange with Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Cruz reminded colleagues that our rights come not from government, but from our Creator. This foundational principle demands that America side with those persecuted for exercising God-given rights.
The previous administration’s refusal to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern was a dereliction of moral responsibility. Cruz’s bill changes the narrative: Congress is stepping up and taking action. The Trump administration must immediately use International Religious Freedom Act tools to enforce this designation, applying public pressure, diplomatic restrictions, and targeted sanctions to compel Nigeria to protect its Christian citizens.
It is time to call this what it is—religious persecution—and to act accordingly. The blood of thousands cannot be ignored, and the United States has the legal framework to respond.
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