President Trump has ordered Pentagon to draft military plans over alleged killings of Christians in Nigeria.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the United States President Donald Trump has once again threatened possible military action in Nigeria over the reported killings of Christians, revealing that he has directed the Pentagon to begin preparing operational plans.
Speaking to an AFP correspondent aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said “all options are on the table”, including airstrikes and possible deployment of U.S. troops.
“Could be — I mean, a lot of things. I envisage a lot of things,” Trump said when asked if a military intervention in Nigeria was imminent.
“They’re killing Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen,” he declared.
The statement follows Trump’s earlier post on Truth Social, where he claimed to have ordered the Pentagon to “map out a possible plan of attack” in response to what he called an “existential threat to Christianity” in Nigeria.
“If Nigeria does not stop the killings, the United States will attack — and it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians,” Trump wrote.
The remarks have sparked diplomatic tension between Washington and Abuja, with the Nigerian government calling for dialogue instead of confrontation.
Presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala told AFP that Nigeria remains a strategic U.S. partner in the global fight against terrorism and expects mutual respect in all engagements.
“Nigeria welcomes U.S. support to fight terrorism as long as it respects our territorial integrity,” Bwala said. “We don’t interpret Trump’s post literally — he has a unique communication style. We believe this could lead to talks between both leaders to strengthen cooperation.”
Bwala, speaking from Washington D.C., hinted that President Bola Tinubu and President Trump might meet soon to discuss the security situation.
“As for claims that terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians, both leaders will clarify such issues during their upcoming meeting — either at the State House or the White House,” he added.
Trump had earlier alleged in a Friday post that “thousands of Christians are being killed” in Nigeria by “radical Islamists.”
However, the Nigerian government has rejected the claim, insisting that insecurity in the country is not religiously motivated.
“The portrayal of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated on social media on Saturday.