The lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has described as false the claim by a United States lawmaker, Senator Ted Cruz, that Christians are being subjected to genocide in Nigeria.

Ndume made this rebuttal on Thursday, when he was responding to questions in an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television.

According to him, the allegations were unfounded and capable of misrepresenting Nigeria’s security situation before the international community.

“What Ted Cruz and co said is not true. It is not true to say Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria

“This thing came from Ted Cruz and it dates back to 2020. In fact, Donald Trump, in his first term, designated us as CPC — Countries of Particular Concern — where a group of religious believers of any type are being persecuted. That means sanctions will be applied,” Ndume stated.

The longest serving senator maintained that insecurity in Nigeria should not be reduced to religious persecution, stressing that victims of attacks across the country cut across different faiths and ethnicities.

The Borno-born politician urged international observers to seek accurate information rather than rely on misleading reports.

Ndume’s comments came in reaction to a statement by Senator Cruz, who had accused the Nigerian government of enabling a “massacre” against Christians.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Cruz claimed that about 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009, while over 2,000 schools and 18,000 churches were destroyed by “Islamist armed groups.”

Cruz also announced the introduction of a bill in the US Senate seeking sanctions against Nigerian officials whom he accused of “ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians.”