United States Senator Ted Cruz has introduced a new bill titled the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, aimed at tackling what he describes as religious persecution and the enforcement of sharia and blasphemy laws in parts of Nigeria.
The proposed legislation seeks to compel the U.S. government to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
It also empowers Washington to impose targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials found to promote or enforce laws that violate religious freedom — including blasphemy laws and Sharia-based criminal codes.
“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,” Senator Cruz said in a statement.
Under the bill, the U.S. Secretary of State would be mandated to apply visa bans, asset freezes, or other penalties against any Nigerian government or state official who enacts or tolerates religious persecution.
The legislation also reinforces the designation of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as terrorist entities responsible for religiously-motivated violence in the country.
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