FG tackles US senator Ted Cruz over Christian persecution claim in Nigeria

FG tackles US senator Ted Cruz over Christian persecution claim in Nigeria

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has fired back at US Senator Ted Cruz for alleging that Nigerian officials are turning a blind eye to the “mass murder of Christians” in the country.

Cruz had claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that “Islamist jihadists” are slaughtering Christians with the “complicity” of Nigerian state officials.

He also touted his proposed Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act, which seeks sanctions against those he accused of enabling religious persecution.

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Onanuga swiftly dismissed the claim as “malicious, contrived lies”, insisting Nigeria is not engulfed in any religious war.

“Senator, stop these malicious lies against my country,” he wrote on X. “The degraded Boko Haram terrorists in the North East target everyone — farmers, soldiers, and civilians. The bandits in the North West kill worshippers in mosques. Christians are not singled out. We have religious harmony in Nigeria.”

Tinubu echoed a similar stance earlier in the week, stressing that allegations of religious genocide were “unfounded.” Speaking in Owerri, Imo State, the president said Nigeria remains united by faith and resilience, noting that after 65 years of independence, citizens have learned to embrace cultural and religious diversity.

FG tackles US senator Ted Cruz over Christian persecution claim in Nigeria