U.S. Lawmaker: Nigerian Officials Enabling Persecution Of Christians

United States Senator Ted Cruz has claimed that Washington has identified Nigerian government officials responsible for creating conditions that enable attacks on Christians in the country and that the U.S. possesses the tools to sanction them.

Cruz made the statement on Tuesday via his X account in response to Sunday’s deadly attack on the Angwan Rukuba community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, which fell on Palm Sunday and claimed at least 12 lives.

He wrote: “Nigerian government officials have created an environment in which Christians are routinely persecuted and slaughtered, by imposing sharia law and looking the other way at violence. Those officials should know that the U.S. knows who they are, and has the tools to hold them accountable.”

The Plateau State Police Command confirmed that gunmen attacked Angwan Rukuba at around 8:30 p.m. on March 29, killing 12 persons, 10 men and two women, with two additional corpses later recovered from surrounding bush during a security sweep.

On the domestic front, Caleb Mutfwang visited the bereaved community, promising that perpetrators would face justice. He stated via X: “Your pain is my pain, and the pain of Plateau State. My administration will pursue justice relentlessly until the perpetrators are brought to book.”

Mutfwang also announced that the state government would cover medical bills for all injured residents and ensure a dignified burial for those killed.

A 48 hour curfew was imposed on Jos North LGA from midnight on March 29 through April 1, 2026, with additional security personnel deployed to restore order.

The attack at Angwan Rukuba is the latest point of tension between Washington and Abuja over the treatment of Christians in Nigeria.

In October 2025, former US President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing alleged threats against Christian communities and warning that Washington could halt assistance or consider military action against groups he described as Islamic terrorists if attacks continued.

The Federal Government rejected the claim as inconsistent with facts and sent a delegation led by Nuhu Ribadu to Washington to engage US lawmakers. In November 2025, a briefing for the diplomatic corps in Abuja reiterated that Nigeria’s national legal framework contains no offence of blasphemy, that public order laws are religion neutral, and that Sharia laws in some northern states apply only to Muslims under the secular judiciary.

President Bola Tinubu also dismissed the persecution narrative in December 2025, stating: “There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria, and there is no Muslim genocide in Nigeria. What we have is terrorism driven by criminality and extremism, challenges we are working tirelessly to overcome.”

Local authorities continue to implement security measures and support affected communities.