DONALD Trump has threatened military action against Nigeria, accusing the West African nation of allowing the “killing of Christians” by Islamist extremists.
Trump’s remarks came just one day after he added Nigeria to the U.S. list of “Countries of Particular Concern” over religious freedom.
Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, the former U.S. president wrote: “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.
“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!
“WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”
These comments represent an escalation following months of pressure from conservative American lawmakers who claim Christians in Nigeria are facing “genocide.”
Christian and evangelical organizations have echoed those claims, which have also gained traction among far-right politicians in Europe.
“Christianity there faces an existential threat,” Trump said.
In an earlier post, he said: “Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass killing.
“When Christians, or any other group, are massacred as is the case in Nigeria (3,100 compared to 4,476 worldwide), action must be taken!”
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu swiftly responded, rejecting Trump’s accusations.
“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.”
Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed that position: “The Federal Government of Nigeria 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.”
Trump’s warning follows a recent appeal by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who urged Congress to label Africa a violator of religious freedom, citing what he described as “Christian mass murder.”
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation of 220 million people, has long faced severe security challenges.
In the northeast, the Boko Haram insurgency – active since 2009 – has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over two million, according to United Nations estimates.
Although weakened, Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), continue to carry out attacks.
Both groups have targeted not only Christians but also Muslims they consider insufficiently devout.
Elsewhere, violence between Fulani herders, mostly Muslim, and farming communities, often Christian, remains frequent in central Nigeria.
These clashes are often portrayed as religious conflicts, though they largely stem from disputes over land and resources.
In mid-October, Trump’s Africa adviser, Massad Boulous, acknowledged that jihadists were “killing more Muslims than Christians.”
Nigeria is divided roughly evenly between a Muslim-majority north and a predominantly Christian south
It is a nation struggling to maintain stability amid its complex religious and ethnic landscape.
