ABUJA, Nigeria — U.S. President Donald Trump dramatically escalated rhetoric against Nigeria on Saturday, publicly stating he has asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible “fast” military action if the West African nation fails to curb the killing of Christians.
In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, the former President issued a severe ultimatum to Abuja, declaring that the U.S. would immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and top oil producer.
Trump warned that if the United States were to send in military forces, it would go in “‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
He called Nigeria a “disgraced country” and warned its government must act swiftly.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” he wrote, without providing specific evidence regarding the scope or details of the treatment of Christians.
Abuja pushes back, Pentagon responds
While the White House offered no immediate comment on the potential timing of any U.S. military action, the threat was echoed by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“The Department of War is preparing for action,” Hegseth wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” The U.S. Department of Defense referred media inquiries to the White House for further comment.
The Nigerian government had no immediate reaction to Trump’s direct threat of military intervention. However, earlier on Saturday, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had pushed back against claims of religious intolerance following the U.S. re-designation of Nigeria to a “Countries of Particular Concern” list.
“The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” Tinubu said in a statement, citing “constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”
Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry vowed to continue fighting violent extremism, saying it “will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion. Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”
Background and international list re-designation
Trump’s aggressive post came just one day after his administration added Nigeria back to the U.S. State Department’s “Countries of Particular Concern” list—a designation for nations deemed to have violated religious freedom. Other countries on the list include China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan.
Trump had previously designated Nigeria a country of concern during his first term in the White House, a decision reversed by his Democratic successor, Joe Biden, in 2021.
Also Read: US revokes visa of Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka
The re-designation was hailed by some U.S. lawmakers, including Republican Representative Tom Cole, who chairs the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, citing what they called “the alarming and ongoing persecution of Christians across the country.”
The re-designation opens the door to a range of potential policy responses, such as sanctions, though they are not automatically applied.
Nigeria, which is home to 200 ethnic groups practicing Christianity, Islam, and traditional religions, has a history of peaceful coexistence but has also endured flare-ups of violence, often exacerbated by ethnic conflict or competition over scarce resources.
The extremist Islamist group Boko Haram has terrorized northeast Nigeria for the past 15 years, though human rights experts note that the majority of Boko Haram’s victims have historically been Muslims.
