A legislation sponsored by Republican Senator Ted Cruz, titled the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025” has passed its second reading in the US Senate. It has now been formally referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, marking a major step in what could become one of America’s toughest policy positions toward Nigeria in decades.
The bill is a follow-up to House Resolution 594, already backed by 18 Republican members of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The draft legislation relies heavily on reports from major international bodies and watchdogs, including the Open Doors World Watch List 2025. The report claims:
These alarming numbers form the backbone of Senator Cruz’s justification for urgent legislative action. In his words: “Religious persecution and violence against Christians and other religious minorities in Nigeria is endemic, driven in significant part by Islamist jihadism and institutionalised sharia law in large parts of the country.”
