Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas have introduced legislation aimed at protecting Christians in Nigeria, where thousands have been killed in a surge of jihadist violence.

Stutzman introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act on Tuesday in the U.S. House of Representatives as a companion to Cruz’s Senate bill, according to Blaze News.

The legislation is a response to what lawmakers have described as the “rapidly deteriorating” conditions for Christians in Nigeria, who continue to face widespread abductions, targeted attacks, and mass killings by jihadist groups.

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The measure seeks to hold Nigerian officials accountable for enabling or participating in religious persecution.

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According to the bill’s text obtained by Blaze News, it would impose targeted sanctions on government officials who either facilitate violence against religious minorities or enforce Sharia law within the country.

The legislation would also formally designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act and ensure that Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa remain classified as “entities of particular concern.”

These designations would maintain strict U.S. sanctions and enhance reporting requirements on the Nigerian government’s handling of religious freedom violations.

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“It is the responsibility of the United States to protect religious freedom worldwide,” Stutzman told Blaze News.

“Implementing Sharia law and condoning the murder of innocent people is barbaric.”

He added, “We must use the targeted tools we have at our disposal to combat religious violence in all its forms. I am proud to partner with Senator Cruz to introduce this important legislation, which will create real consequences for those responsible for violence and save the lives of thousands of Christians who are facing persecution.”

According to human rights groups and church organizations, the violence against Nigerian Christians has reached critical levels.

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Since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009, over 125,000 Christians have been killed.

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In 2025 alone, jihadist groups have reportedly murdered more than 7,000 Christians, abducted at least 7,800 others, and destroyed an estimated 100 churches each month.

Sen. Cruz echoed Stutzman’s call for action, emphasizing the importance of imposing consequences on officials who have failed to stop the violence or have actively supported it.

“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,” Cruz said in a statement.

“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,” Cruz said.

“I urge my colleagues to advance this critical legislation expeditiously.”

Boko Haram, which began its insurgency in northeastern Nigeria, has been responsible for thousands of killings, kidnappings, and attacks on churches and villages.

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The group, along with its splinter faction ISIS-West Africa, continues to carry out large-scale assaults targeting Christian communities.

Both Cruz and Stutzman have said the bill is intended not only to address the crisis in Nigeria but to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to protecting religious liberty worldwide.

The legislation will now move to committee review in both chambers of Congress.

If passed, it would direct the U.S. State Department to apply sanctions and diplomatic measures against Nigerian officials complicit in religious persecution, as well as expand reporting and monitoring of human rights violations in the region.