President Donald Trump on Saturday warned of possible military intervention in Nigeria and called on the West African nation to take action against the killing of Christians. He has directed the Department of Defense to prepare for what he described as "fast" action and announced an immediate halt to all U.S. aid and assistance to Nigeria, according to his post on Truth Social.
According to Reuters, Nigeria has 200 ethnic groups practicing Christianity, Islam and traditional religions.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians,” Trump wrote in his post.
If U.S. forces were to deploy, the president declared, they would go in “guns-a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” Trump also referred to Nigeria as a “disgraced country” and cautioned that its government needs to act swiftly.
Nigeria Defends Religious Freedom Record
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pushed back against claims of religious intolerance before Trump’s threat.
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“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 an X post.
Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry said it “will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion,” Reuters reported.
On Saturday, the Ministry posted on Instagram, “We mourn the victims of violent extremism.”
Trump Restores ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ Designation
The threat came one day after Trump’s administration added Nigeria back to a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations that the U.S. says have violated religious freedom.
According to the report, Trump designated Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and top oil producer, a country of concern during his first term.
Democratic President Joe Biden removed it from the U.S. State Department list in 2021.
Biden also praised Tinubu in October 2024 for his role in securing the release of Binance (CRYPTO: BNB) executive Tigran Gambaryan on humanitarian grounds.
Other nations on the list of particular concern include China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia and Pakistan.
Trump stated on Friday via his post that radical Islamists were murdering “thousands of Christians” in Nigeria.
Military Footprint And Security Context
Reuters report claims that Boko Haram, an extremist Islamist armed group, has terrorized northeast Nigeria for the past 15 years, killing tens of thousands of people. According to human rights experts, Muslims have been the majority of victims.
The U.S. military footprint in West Africa was significantly diminished when about 1,000 troops withdrew from Niger last year.
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