WASHINGTON (Chatnewstv.com) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he has ordered the Defense Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria, escalating his accusations that the West African nation is not doing enough to halt violence against Christians, an accusation Nigerian officials have repeatedly denied.
In a social media post that criticized what he called the “mass slaughter” of Christians in the country, Trump warned the Nigerian government to “move fast,” writing the United States would “immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and adding that the U.S. “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.”
The president’s comments come just one day after his administration designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act, suggesting his administration found that the country has engaged in or tolerated “systematic, ongoing, (and) egregious violations of religious freedom.”
“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! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth quickly responded on social media, posting a screenshot of Trump’s comments and adding, “Yes sir.”
“The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately,” Hegseth wrote. “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.”
The Crisis of Christian Persecution in Nigeria
Violence against the Nigerian Christian population is significantly localized, though it has recently spread southwards to the middle belt of Nigeria.
Nigeria has tragically become known as the world’s center of Christian martyrs. In any given year, the number of Christians killed by extremist groups is rarely less than 4,000—often more than in the rest of the world combined.
The violence has been largely driven by the rise of the extremist movement Boko Haram, which began its murderous attacks in 2009. Boko Haram has since been joined by another powerful extremist group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and both seek the eradication of Christianity from the northern states. The violence has resulted in refugees now numbering over four million, mostly Christian farmers.
The death toll among Christians killed in Nigeria has been staggering. According to an April 2023 report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, at least 52,250 persecuted Christians have been killed in the past fourteen years, simply for the crime of being Christian. In the past five years, violence has spread southwards to the middle belt of Nigeria, with radicalized Fulani herdsmen also killing Christians to steal their land. The Christian community faces relentless violence from extremist groups that target them for their faith, with the central government’s failure to counteract this violence continuing to fuel the crisis.
Nigeria Denies Religious Intolerance; President Tinubu’s Past Stance on Insecurity
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with an estimated 230 million people, is roughly split between Christians and Muslims. While precise, recent data varies, estimates suggest the population is approximately 46% Christian and 46% Muslim, with a small percentage adhering to indigenous or other religions.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu pushed back on the U.S. characterization before Trump’s threat of military action.
“The characterisation 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 wrote in a social media post, adding that Nigeria is “working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.”
Violence in the country is multifaceted, driven by religiously motivated attacks affecting both groups, clashes between farmers and herders over limited resources, and communal or ethnic tensions. Local reports indicate that while Christians are among those targeted, the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims living in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north.
Responding to a social media post from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that condemned the “slaughter of thousands of Christians,” Tinubu’s press secretary, Bayo Onanuga, called the characterization “a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation,” noting that “Christians, Muslims, churches and mosques are attacked randomly.”
“What our country requires from America is military support to fight these violent extremists in some states of our country, not designation as a nation of particular concern,” Onanuga said.
Tinubu’s Past Criticism of Insecurity
President Tinubu’s current defense of his government contrasts sharply with his own public statements when he was an opposition leader under a previous administration:
In March 2013, then-Former Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu publicly called on the President Goodluck Jonathan to “immediately resign for his failure to curtail the worsening insecurity challenges bedevilling the country.”
In January 2014, he stated, “The slaughtering of Christian worshippers is strongly condemnable. It calls to question the competence of Jonathan to protect Nigerians.” * In May 2014, he referred to the country as “unsafe,” stating: “The Kano attack is a sad reminder that we live in an unsafe country. Its a wake up call for the Jonathan govt. We must confront terrorism.” *
In September 2014, he wrote that the “festering Boko Haram attacks on the North East and massacre of innocent citizens is concrete proof that Nigeria has no government.” The conflicting views highlight the persistent and polarizing nature of Nigeria’s insecurity challenges across successive administrations.
