Trump Threatens Military Action in Nigeria Over Christian Killings

The Post On Sunday

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again stirred global controversy after announcing on Saturday that he had ordered the Pentagon to begin preparations for potential military action in Nigeria, accusing the West African nation of failing to protect Christians from persecution.

In a fiery post shared on social media, Trump declared that if the Nigerian government continues to “allow the killing of Christians,” Washington would cut all aid and assistance to Nigeria and might launch a full-scale military operation to “wipe out Islamic terrorists.”

“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA 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.”

The statement, which many analysts described as reckless and provocative, came barely 24 hours after Trump announced that he was designating Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” for what he called a failure to curb violence and persecution of Christians.

In response, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu issued a strongly worded statement defending the country’s record on religious freedom. Tinubu dismissed Trump’s characterization as “false and misleading”, insisting that Nigeria remains a nation built on religious tolerance and constitutional guarantees for all faiths.

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu said. “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”

Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also weighed in, reiterating that the federal government is committed to safeguarding citizens regardless of religion or ethnicity.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion,” said ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa. “Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”

The comments have drawn sharp reactions across diplomatic circles, with observers warning that Trump’s rhetoric risks inflaming religious tensions in a country already grappling with insecurity, ethnic rivalries, and economic instability.

Nigeria, home to more than 220 million people, is almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims. While Christian groups have often raised alarm over targeted attacks by extremist elements such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, security analysts note that the majority of victims in Nigeria’s prolonged conflict are Muslims living in the country’s northern regions, where insurgent violence is most severe.

Attacks in Nigeria often have complex and overlapping motives, ranging from religious extremism to resource-based conflicts between farmers and herders, communal violence, and separatist movements.

Trump’s remarks come just weeks after U.S. Senator Ted Cruz urged Congress to designate Nigeria a violator of religious freedom, alleging widespread attacks on Christians.

Nigeria was previously placed on the U.S. State Department’s watchlist for “systematic violations of religious freedom” in 2020 but was removed in 2023, a move that was widely interpreted as a diplomatic overture to strengthen ties ahead of then–Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Abuja.

Meanwhile, prominent Nigerian figures, including Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, have condemned Trump’s statements, describing them as an unwarranted interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs and a return to neo-colonial rhetoric.