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ABUJA – Senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Suleiman Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila, has accused United States Senator Ted Cruz of promoting a misleading narrative about Nigeria’s security situation, warning that such comments could inflame religious tensions and undermine ongoing peace efforts in the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Sumaila said Cruz’s repeated calls for Nigeria to be viewed primarily through the prism of religious persecution misrepresent the country’s complex security challenges and threaten national cohesion.
The lawmaker argued that Nigeria’s insecurity affects citizens across religious and ethnic divides, stressing that reducing the crisis to a Christian-Muslim conflict distorts realities on the ground and could encourage policies that do not address the root causes of violence.
According to him, despite the decision of the administration of former United States President Donald Trump to remove Nigeria from the list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC), Senator Cruz has continued to campaign for a different international perception of Nigeria.
“Senator Cruz’s continued campaign to re-label Nigeria appears to be driven not by an objective assessment of the facts, but by a narrative that oversimplifies Nigeria’s security challenges and portrays them primarily through a religious lens,” Sumaila said.
He warned that portraying Nigeria’s security crisis solely as religious persecution ignores the fact that terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and insurgents have targeted both Christians and Muslims, as well as churches, mosques, schools, markets and rural communities.
The senator maintained that such narratives could deepen existing divisions, undermine reconciliation efforts and encourage external actions that fail to reflect Nigeria’s realities.
He, therefore, urged Christians in Nigeria and across the world to critically examine claims about the country’s security situation and reject narratives capable of promoting religious polarisation.
According to him, genuine friends of Nigeria should support peace, interfaith cooperation, national unity and sustainable development rather than rhetoric capable of heightening tensions.
Sumaila also paid tribute to members of the Nigerian security forces, noting that personnel from different religious backgrounds continue to work together in the fight against terrorism, banditry and other forms of violent crime.
He said overlooking their sacrifices in favour of divisive political narratives would be unfair to Nigerians who have borne the brunt of insecurity.
Reaffirming Nigeria’ sovereignty, the lawmaker rejected what he described as attempts by foreign political actors to exploit the country’s internal security challenges for ideological or political purposes.
