US Senator Cruz accuses Nigerian government of using lobbyists to mask insecurity

United States Senator Ted Cruz has accused the Federal Government of using public relations lobbying to deflect international concerns over the killing of Christians and insecurity in Nigeria.

 

Cruz criticised the government’s engagement of a US-based lobbying firm to communicate its efforts on protecting Christians, describing it as an attempt to mask the country’s security challenges instead of addressing them.

 

The senator made the remarks in a post on X while reacting to a US House of Representatives amendment that would increase the withholding of American assistance to Nigeria from 50 per cent to 100 per cent until the country takes effective steps to prevent and respond to violence within its territory.

 

“Nigerian officials have created an environment that facilitates mass violence against Christians and religious minorities by imposing blasphemy and Sharia laws and looking the other way at jihadist atrocities,” Cruz said.

 

“The U.S. government knows the Nigerian officials responsible for these policies. I have been pushing my bill to sanction them, and President Trump has even ordered military action.

 

“Instead of responding to American concerns, Nigerian officials waged a public relations campaign against critics. They were confident in that campaign and in their ability to continue the status quo, and I am heartened that the House has just definitively proven them wrong,” he added.

 

Nigeria engaged DCI Group, a US-based public affairs and lobbying firm, in a reported $9 million contract in December 2025, months after President Donald Trump designated the country a “Country of Particular Concern.”

 

According to documents filed with the US Department of Justice, the firm was hired by Kaduna-based Aster Legal on behalf of the Office of the National Security Adviser.

 

Cruz had earlier introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a proposed legislation aimed at sanctioning Nigerian government officials alleged to have facilitated violence against Christians.

 

Meanwhile, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has accused the Presidency of misleading Nigerians by portraying a reported letter from US President Donald Trump as an endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

 

In a statement issued in Abuja, Frank described the correspondence as a routine diplomatic exchange acknowledging security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.

 

“The letter only commended Nigeria for partnering with the US in addressing insecurity. It was not an endorsement of President Tinubu’s leadership, his economic policies or his administration.

 

“It did not say the Trump administration is backing President Tinubu or supporting him for any election in Nigeria. The Presidency is only trying to change the narrative by presenting it as something more than it is,” he said.

 

Frank challenged the Presidency to publish the original letter, questioning its authenticity and noting that it was reportedly dated July 6 but only became public weeks later.

 

He also criticised reports that the Federal Government had spent millions of dollars on lobbyists in the United States to improve its international image, arguing that governments with strong credibility do not require expensive reputation management campaigns abroad.

 

The Presidency has yet to respond to the latest comments by Cruz and Frank.