U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy American military forces in Nigeria if the government fails to stop what he described as mass killings of Christians in the country.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump directed the U.S. Department of Defense (referred to by him as the “Department of War”) to prepare for “possible action.” He warned that all U.S. aid to Nigeria would be halted immediately unless the alleged persecution ceases.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” he added.
In response, the Nigerian government has rejected the allegations. President Bola Tinubu stated that Nigeria remains a democracy anchored on constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been core tenets of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” he said.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, via spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa, affirmed that the government will engage with U.S. counterparts through diplomatic channels to clarify the situation and reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to protecting citizens regardless of creed.
The situation escalates diplomatic tensions between the two countries, as U.S. lawmakers and advocacy groups have increasingly highlighted alleged religious freedom abuses in Nigeria.
However, analysts note that the violence in Nigeria affects both Christians and Muslims, and that the majority of victims of armed non-state actors are from Muslim-majority regions.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed allegations of a Christian genocide in Nigeria as a “gross exaggeration.”
Responding to a post by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who alleged that Fulani militias and radical Islamists were slaughtering Christians in the country, Onanuga maintained that Nigeria’s security challenges were not driven by religion.
“Dear Secretary Rubio, there is no ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria. What we do have are sporadic attacks on villages by bandits and terrorists, and these attacks are not religiously motivated. Christians, Muslims, churches, and mosques are attacked randomly,” he wrote.
He added that what Nigeria needed from the United States was military collaboration, not condemnation.
“What our country needs from America is military support to fight violent extremists in some states, not a designation as a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’” Onanuga said.
In a follow-up post, he added pointedly: “Secretary Rubio, Muslim lives matter too.”