United States Senator Ted Cruz has accused some Nigerian officials of being complicit in attacks leading to the killing of Christians in the country.

Cruz made the allegation on Tuesday during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on the United States’ counterterrorism strategy in Africa.

Speaking at the hearing, the senator claimed that Nigeria records the highest number of Christians killed because of their faith worldwide.

He further alleged that since 2009, more than 50,000 Christians have been killed, while over 20,000 churches, schools, and religious institutions have been destroyed.

“Nigerian officials had been, unfortunately, complicit in facilitating these atrocities,” Cruz said.

The lawmaker linked part of the violence to the implementation of Sharia law in some northern states and criticised Nigerian authorities for what he described as an inadequate response to the country’s security challenges.

Cruz also referred to an earlier meeting with Nigerian defence and security officials, saying promises made to address the violence had not produced visible results.

“I told them I would judge their commitment by the results. Those results have yet to materialise,” he stated.

The senator noted that in October, he introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a bill he said is intended to hold Nigerian government officials accountable for alleged complicity in attacks on Christians.

During the hearing, Cruz questioned Nick Checker, a senior official at the US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, on whether diplomatic engagements with Nigeria had produced meaningful outcomes.

Responding, Checker said Nigeria had shown some cooperation with requests from the United States, especially after measures introduced under President Donald Trump.

“We’ve seen some positive movements, including leadership changes in Nigerian security services, recruitment of additional troops, and deployment of forest guards to areas affected by violence,” Checker said.

He also pointed to increased prosecution of terrorism suspects and the formation of a bilateral high-level working group after discussions between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and US Under-Secretary of State Allison Hooker.

Checker added that recent American support for Nigerian security agencies reflects continued cooperation between both countries.

“We’ve seen positive steps by the Nigerians, but certainly more can be done,” he said.