By Charles Pemu 
The Federal Government of Nigeria is locked in a high-stakes diplomatic confrontation with the United States as the US Congress considers a bill that could impose severe sanctions on a list of public officials and religious authorities. American lawmakers, spurred by a directive from President Donald Trump, are pushing legislation over alleged complicity in a “Christian genocide” and systemic persecution linked to Sharia and blasphemy laws in northern Nigeria.
President Trump escalated the crisis with a public post on Truth, instructing Congressman Riley Moore and the House Appropriations Committee to immediately investigate the matter. The president lamented that thousands of Christians were being killed in Nigeria and warned of potential military intervention.
The proposed Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, sponsored by Republican Senator Ted Cruz, seeks to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for religious persecution.
Under the bill, the US Secretary of State would be compelled to submit a report to Congress within 90 days of its passage. This report would list Nigerian officials—including twelve northern governors, senior judges, and monarchs—accused of promoting, enacting, or maintaining blasphemy laws, or tolerating violence by non-state actors invoking religious justification.
These officials could face severe penalties under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability framework (Executive Order 13818), potentially leading to visa bans, asset freezes, and financial restrictions.
Senator Cruz, defending the bill, claimed that Nigeria’s leadership has “institutionalised sharia law and enabled jihadist violence.” He asserted that since 2009, massive numbers of Christians have been murdered and tens of thousands of churches destroyed, with federal and state governments often being complicit.
The US concern centers on the expansion of Sharia jurisdiction into criminal law in northern states since 1999, beginning with Zamfara under former Governor Ahmad Sani Yerima. These states, which include Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kebbi, Yobe, Kaduna, Niger, and Gombe, have adopted Sharia-based penal codes, leading to global outrage over death sentences imposed for alleged blasphemy.
The diplomatic tension reached a peak with President Trump’s aggressive stance. He threatened to halt all US aid and assistance to Nigeria should the Tinubu administration fail to end the alleged killing of Christians.
In a highly controversial statement, President Trump warned that the US “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, subsequently confirmed on X that the Department of War is preparing for action if Nigeria fails to protect Christians.
The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued an official policy note titled “Nigeria’s Constitutional Commitment to Religious Freedom and Rule of Law,” robustly defending the country’s constitutional commitment to religious freedom.
The government insisted that Nigeria is a constitutional, multi-religious democracy whose 1999 Constitution forbids a state religion, guarantees freedom of conscience, and prohibits discrimination based on faith. The note clarified that Sharia is not a nationwide, compulsory system and that its criminal provisions apply strictly to Muslims in a handful of northern states. Furthermore, the FG emphasized that there is no federal offense of blasphemy in Nigerian law.
Addressing allegations of tolerating violence, the government underscored its aggressive counter-terrorism stance, proscribing Boko Haram and ISWAP and attributing many attacks often framed as “religious” to terrorism, organized crime, resource conflict, and climate stress.
Tinubu Seeks Meeting as Diplomats Warn of Repercussions
In response, the Presidency confirmed that President Bola Tinubu would meet with his American counterpart in the coming days to discuss counterterrorism cooperation and clarify misconceptions. Special Adviser Daniel Bwala said the leaders share interests in fighting terrorism and expressed hope that differences over the nature of attacks would be resolved. It was later reported that President Tinubu is scheduled to visit the US on Tuesday.
The escalating situation has alarmed foreign policy experts. Retired Ambassador Mohammed Mabdul warned that the CPC designation would have far-reaching implications, including a reduction in US aid for socio-economic development and a significant cut in security cooperation, which Nigeria relies on for sophisticated military equipment.
Former envoy Ogbole Amedu-Ode warned of possible economic repercussions, including a decline in foreign investment from Western nations. Meanwhile, former NNPP presidential candidate Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso urged the US to pivot from threats to partnership, offering advanced technology to fight insecurity instead of pursuing divisive designations.
Religious Leaders Weigh In
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), through its Northern Chairman Rev. John Hayab, blamed the crisis on the “lack of courage by leaders to take decisive action” against those who violate human rights, asserting that Trump’s warning is a needed opportunity for the government to correct systemic wrongs.
Conversely, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), while condemning terrorism, cautioned that any US military strike should be directed exclusively at terrorist groups and not harm innocent Muslims or religious centers, warning that such action would be considered religious aggression.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, who was personally challenged by a former US Mayor over his alleged failure to curb jihadist violence, declined to respond, stating that the Sultanate Council remains focused on promoting peaceful coexistence and will not be distracted by “baseless accusations.”