By Noah Ebije, Kaduna
A Northern group, Arewa Think Tank (ATT), has challenged a United States senator, Ted Cruz, over a move to sanction Nigerian leaders over alleged religious violence claims in the country.
The lawmaker wrote on his X, “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act would target these officials with powerful sanctions and other tools. It’s time to hold those responsible accountable.”
Senator Cruz, representing the State of Texas in the United States Senate, had on his X handle posted accusations of officials in Nigeria facilitating mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists.
Reacting to Senator Cruz’s post on X, Convener of ATT, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, warned the American lawmaker against propagating malicious lies against Nigeria on the issue of Christians being targeted in the country.
“Senator Cruz’s post on X where he accused officials in Nigeria of ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists shows that he has little or no knowledge about insecurity in the country.
Every Nigerian is aware that the degraded Boko Haram terrorists operating on the fringes of Nigeria’s North East target everyone irrespective of ethno-religious differences. They attack farmers, our soldiers. They kill worshippers in their mosques.
Christians are not targeted. We have religious harmony in our country. This American lawmaker should stop these malicious lies because we do not have a religious war in our dear country, Nigeria,” the statement said.
Also, in another development, Arewa Think Tank has praised the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for acknowledging teachers’ invaluable role in nation-building and the future of humanity.
The First Lady had celebrated teachers worldwide for World Teachers’ Day 2025, and urged a renewed focus on addressing the pressing global teacher shortage.
“We are excited over First Lady’s acknowledgement of teachers’ invaluable role in nation-building and the future of humanity, and for paying glowing tribute to educators across the country.
We understand that as a lifelong teacher herself, she holds deep respect for the profession and those who dedicate their lives to it.
We agree with the First Lady that the shortage of teachers is a challenge we must confront with urgency, by empowering educators, investing in their growth, and inspiring more to join this noble profession,” the statement added.
