Washington, D.C. — U.S. President, Donald Trump has announced that he has instructed the Pentagon to prepare plans for possible military action in Nigeria, escalating his claims that the Nigerian government is failing to stop the persecution of Christians in the West African nation.
In a fiery social media post on Saturday, Trump said he would “immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” if the government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.” He added that the United States “may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing,” vowing that any strike would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump wrote. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians!”
The comments follow Trump’s decision on Friday to designate Nigeria “a country of particular concern,” citing alleged failures by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to curb violence against Christians.
President Tinubu swiftly rejected Trump’s remarks, calling them “inaccurate and misleading.” In a statement posted on social media Saturday, Tinubu said religious freedom remains a fundamental value in Nigeria’s diverse society.
“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. Our Constitution guarantees the protection of citizens of all faiths.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, also defended the country’s record, emphasizing that the government “will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion.”
Trump’s warning adds a new layer of diplomatic tension between the two nations. His comments echo recent calls from U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who urged Congress to designate Nigeria a violator of religious freedom, citing alleged “Christian mass murders.”
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with more than 220 million citizens, is roughly split between Christians and Muslims. While there have been religiously motivated attacks, security experts note that most victims of violence—often from extremist groups like Boko Haram—are Muslims living in Nigeria’s northern region.
The nation has faced multiple sources of unrest, including terrorism, farmer-herder clashes over scarce land, secessionist movements, and ethnic rivalries. Analysts warn that conflating these complex conflicts with purely religious persecution oversimplifies Nigeria’s challenges.
Nigeria was first placed on the U.S. “Country of Particular Concern” list in 2020 due to “systematic violations of religious freedom,” a designation lifted in 2023 in what was seen as a diplomatic gesture to strengthen bilateral ties.
Trump’s renewed focus on Nigeria’s religious conflict could rekindle debate in Washington over how the U.S. engages with African nations on human rights and religious freedom.
Source: Associated Press (AP)
