The Senate on Thursday rejected recent claims by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and television host Bill Maher alleging a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, describing the assertions as false, misleading, and harmful to national unity.
The lawmakers reached the decision following a motion titled “Urgent Need to Correct Misconceptions Regarding the Purported ‘Christian Genocide’ Narrative in Nigeria and International Communities.” The Senate also resolved to collaborate with the Federal Government to strengthen counter-terrorism measures and address insecurity across the country.
The motion, sponsored by Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) and co-sponsored by Senators Sani Musa (Niger East), Magatakarda Wamakko (Sokoto North), Ibrahim Bomai (Yobe South), and Ahmed Wadada (Nasarawa West), sought to dispel what they termed dangerous misinformation circulating in international media.
Supporting the motion, Senator Wamakko condemned the genocide narrative as “blatant misinformation designed to destabilise the nation.” He called for firm action to counter the spread of falsehoods about Nigeria’s internal security situation.
Senator Sumaila Kawu (Kano South) warned that such unfounded allegations could jeopardise Nigeria’s diplomatic relations and inflame sectarian divisions.
“It is clear that no one in this country supports terrorism. The government is working hard to ensure security. In my state, some leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria are part of the security council and traditional institutions,” Kawu said.
He cautioned that the passage of a related bill in the U.S. Congress could have serious implications for both Christians and Muslims in Nigeria.
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo South) called for a more strategic and intelligence-driven approach to tackling terrorism.
“We must understand the strategies and operations of these terrorists and engage the government in redefining our counter-terrorism measures,” he stated.
The debate followed comments by Senator Ted Cruz, who in a podcast with U.S. television host Bill Maher, alleged that Christians in Nigeria were being “systematically targeted and killed” — a claim he termed genocide. Maher and political analyst Van Jones made similar allegations, accusing Nigerian authorities of failing to protect Christian communities.
The Federal Government has since dismissed the claims, maintaining that Nigeria’s security challenges are driven by terrorism and banditry, not religious persecution.
Thursday’s Senate resolution marks a unified legislative stance to work with the executive arm in developing a more effective counter-terrorism framework and launching diplomatic efforts to correct what it described as a “distorted foreign narrative” about Nigeria.
