ABUJA, Nigeria — U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the American military to prepare for possible action in Nigeria, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to protect its Christian population from militant Islamist groups.
In a social media post on Saturday, President Trump wrote that he had instructed the U.S. Department of War to prepare for “possible action.” He issued a severe warning, stating that he might send the military into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” unless the Nigerian government intervened, adding that all aid to what he called “the now disgraced country” would be cut.
Trump escalated the warning on Sunday, reiterating that the U.S. could deploy troops or carry out airstrikes to halt the alleged violence.
“They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria. They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen,” the U.S. president said.
He further underscored the severity of the planned military response in his earlier post: “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly echoed the directive: “Yes sir. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
Nigeria responds: A call for cooperation
The threat of intervention triggered alarm across Nigeria, with many on social media urging the government to intensify its fight against Islamist groups to avert the deployment of foreign troops.
An advisor to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, responded to the threats, telling Vivid Voice News that any military action against the jihadist groups should be carried out jointly. While stating that Nigeria would welcome U.S. help in tackling the Islamist insurgents, Bwala noted that Nigeria was a “sovereign” country.
Bwala, who identifies as a Christian pastor, sought to downplay the urgency of the rhetoric, telling this reporter that Trump had a “unique way of communicating” and that Nigeria was not taking his words literally.
“We know the heart and intent of Trump is to help us fight insecurity,” he said, expressing hope that Trump would soon meet President Tinubu to discuss the matter.
Disputed Claims of Religious Targeting
The U.S. President did not specify which killings he was referring to, but the claims of genocide against Nigerian Christians have recently circulated in certain right-wing circles in the U.S.
Countering this narrative, President Tinubu has insisted that religious tolerance exists in Nigeria and that the security challenges were affecting people “across faiths and regions.” Bwala affirmed this, saying the jihadists were not targeting members of a particular religion and had killed people from all faiths, or none. Groups monitoring the violence also assert that there is no evidence to suggest Christians are being killed more than Muslims in Nigeria, a country roughly evenly divided between the two major faiths.
