From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja

The Senate has declared that the insecurity crisis in Nigeria is not specifically targeted at any religious group in the country.

It said this in plenary on Thursday after considering a motion raised by Ali Ndume and 20 others titled “urgent need to correct misconceptions regarding the purported Christian genocide narrative in Nigeria and in the international community.”

Leading debate on the motion, Ndume noted recent discussions in the United States Senate and Congress on Nigeria’s religious freedom, including moves to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz had introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 which he said seeks to protect Christians and other religious minorities being persecuted in Nigeria by holding accountable Nigerian officials who facilitate Islamist jihadist violence and the imposition of blasphemy laws.

Sen. Cruz said, “Nigerian Christians are being targeted and executed for their faith by Islamist terrorist groups, and are being forced to submit to sharia law and blasphemy laws across Nigeria. It is long past time to impose real costs on the Nigerian officials who facilitate these activities, and my Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act uses new and existing tools to do exactly that. I urge my colleagues to advance this critical legislation expeditiously.”

He added that “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.”

While stressing that it is not desirous to be designated as a country of particular concern, Ndume emphasised that debates on Nigeria’s security challenges ought to be based on accurate facts and balanced perspectives. The lawmaker added that the killings by criminal elements are not defined by religion alone, but by a “complex mix of terrorism, criminality, and socio-economic factors affecting both Christians and Muslims.”

He said the increasing circulation, both domestically and internationally, of the narrative alleging an ongoing “Christian genocide” in Nigeria “amplified by some advocacy groups, foreign media, and religious networks, though often arising from genuine concern, risk oversimplifying Nigeria’s security challenges, deepening sectarian suspicion, and creating negative perceptions of the country in the international community.”

However, the Senate did not adopt the recommendations of the motion. Following contributions by Senators Aliyu Wammako, Kawu Samaila and Jimoh Ibrahim, the Senate president called for more extensive deliberations on the matter. He explained that different regions in the country were under attacks by different elements including bandits, insurgents and IPOB enforcing sit-at-home.

He stated, “Muslims have lost their lives. The same way the Christians have lost their lives,” adding, “We must have an exhaustive deliberation in a closed door session” on the matter to come up with “a strategy to approach the issue.”

Subsequently, the Senate resolved to step down further consideration of the motion and move debate to the next legislative day in order to allow extensive debate on strategies to check insecurity in the country.

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