A controversial new bill introduced in the U.S. Senate threatens to impose sweeping sanctions on Nigeria over allegations of religious persecution, sparking debate within the Nigerian diaspora about accountability, sovereignty, and the complex realities of insecurity back home.
The Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025
On September 9, 2025, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, legislation that would mandate the U.S. Secretary of State to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC)—a classification reserved for nations engaging in egregious, systematic, and ongoing religious freedom violations.
The bill goes further than symbolic designation. It authorizes targeted sanctions against Nigerian officials—including federal authorities, state governors, judges, and law enforcement—accused of facilitating violence against Christians and religious minorities, or enforcing blasphemy laws. The sanctions would apply retroactively for actions within the past 10 years.
The Disturbing Statistics
Senator Cruz cited alarming figures in his introduction: since 2009, over 52,000 Nigerian Christians have been murdered by jihadist groups, and more than 20,000 churches destroyed. In just the first seven months of 2025, Islamist groups reportedly killed 7,087 Christians and abducted 7,800 others, according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law.
Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List ranked Nigeria 7th globally for Christian persecution, documenting 3,100 killings in 2024 alone. Genocide Watch estimates approximately 62,000 Christians have been killed for their faith since 2000.
A Contentious History
Nigeria was first designated a CPC in 2020 under the Trump administration but was removed from the list in 2021 by the Biden administration—a decision that religious freedom organizations like the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have consistently opposed. The State Department has not issued new CPC designations since 2023.
The bill has garnered support from religious freedom advocates. Katy Roberts of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission told Baptist Press: “Targeted violence against Christians in Nigeria has only intensified since the Biden administration made the determination to remove Nigeria’s CPC designation in 2021.”
Complex Realities Beyond the Headlines
While violence against Christians is undeniable and demands urgent action, the Nigerian security crisis is multifaceted. Farmer-herder conflicts, banditry, resource competition, and state security failures affect Nigerians across religious lines. Many diaspora Nigerians argue that framing the issue solely through a religious persecution lens oversimplifies Nigeria’s complex ethno-religious dynamics and may inadvertently worsen tensions.
Critics also question whether U.S. sanctions will genuinely improve conditions or simply punish ordinary Nigerians already struggling with economic hardship.
What’s Next?
The bill has been referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. If passed, it could dramatically reshape U.S.-Nigeria relations and impact everything from trade to security cooperation—with significant implications for the 400,000+ Nigerian diaspora in America.
What’s your take? Should the U.S. sanction Nigeria over religious freedom? Share your thoughts.