The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has warned that he may deploy American military forces to Nigeria if the alleged genocide against Christians in the country is not immediately halted.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump directed the U.S. Department of War to prepare for what he described as “possible action” should the killings continue.
He further threatened to suspend all aid and assistance to Nigeria if President Bola Tinubu’s administration failed to end what he called the persecution and killing of Christians.
“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,” Trump said.
As of press time, the Federal Government had not issued an official response to the threat.
Tinubu Rejects U.S. Claim
Trump’s remarks come just a day after he designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing what he described as an “existential threat” faced by Christians in the country.
In a post on Friday, Trump wrote, “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern.’ But that is the least of it. When Christians—or any such group—are slaughtered as is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done!”
Responding to the designation, President Bola Tinubu dismissed the claim as misleading and inconsistent with Nigeria’s constitutional stance on religious freedom.
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In a statement shared on his official X handle on Saturday, Tinubu said, “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.”
He stressed that religious freedom and tolerance remain “core tenets” of Nigeria’s identity, reaffirming the government’s commitment to protect citizens of all faiths.
“Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” the President added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, confirmed that discussions were ongoing with the U.S. government on the issue.
“We will continue to engage the United States Government through our missions in Washington DC, Atlanta, and New York on this matter. Discussions will also continue with the American Embassy in Abuja,” Ebienfa said.
According to PUNCH, a number of Nigerian lawmakers have been scheduled to visit Washington to engage with U.S. congressmen in light of Trump’s statement.
A senior member of the House of Representatives revealed that the visit would now be expedited following Trump’s declaration.
“The President’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern does not make it law. It will have to go through U.S. lawmakers. A delegation, of which I am a member, was already scheduled to visit U.S. congressmen before this declaration, and that visit will now be expedited,” the lawmaker stated.
Onanuga Faults Genocide Allegations
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the claims of genocide against Christians as a “gross exaggeration.”
Reacting to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement accusing Fulani militias and radical Islamists of mass killings, Onanuga argued that insecurity in Nigeria was not religiously motivated.
“Dear Secretary Rubio, there is no ongoing slaughter of thousands of Christians in Nigeria. What we do have are sporadic attacks on villages by bandits and terrorists, and these attacks are religiously insensitive. Christians, Muslims, churches, and mosques are attacked randomly,” he explained.
Onanuga added that what Nigeria truly needs from the U.S. is “military support to fight violent extremists,” not a negative designation.
In another post, he wrote, “Secretary Rubio, Muslim lives matter too.”
Ex-Diplomat Warns Of Diplomatic Fallout
A former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr. Yemi Farounbi, cautioned that Trump’s stance could have far-reaching diplomatic and economic consequences.
He warned that such a designation risked portraying Nigeria as a country intolerant of religious freedom, thereby straining its relations with Western allies.
“This will make America and its allies see Nigeria as a country where freedom of worship is not adequately protected. That is bad for our image,” Farounbi said.
He urged the Nigerian government to provide verifiable evidence of its efforts to prosecute perpetrators of sectarian violence and to ensure equal treatment of all victims.
“America’s concern isn’t just about the killings but about how the Nigerian government responds. The U.S. wants to see that victims are treated fairly under the rule of law,” he explained.
Farounbi also warned that the situation could threaten military and diplomatic cooperation with the U.S. and its allies, which Nigeria depends on for intelligence, training, and access to critical weapons.
“Nigeria stands to lose a lot—visa approvals, grants, and key diplomatic relationships. We are fighting insecurity in the West African region and need global collaboration. This declaration could put that at risk,” he cautioned.
Nigeria’s Arms Partnerships
According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Nigeria remains one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest importers of arms, with the United States, China, Italy, Turkey, and Russia among its key suppliers.
Major acquisitions include 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft purchased from the U.S. under a $500m deal signed in 2018, and another $997m package for 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters approved in 2022.
In August 2025, Washington approved an additional $346m potential sale, further strengthening defence ties between both nations.
The National Bureau of Statistics reports that Nigeria spent N777.1bn on arms imports between 2020 and 2024, with N26.95bn expended in the first half of 2025 alone.
Bishop Kukah Urges Restraint
Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has called for calm, advising Nigerians against hasty conclusions over the development.
“I have not had time to study the full details of the statement, but we must wait to see its outcome. Let us see what lessons can be drawn from this development for our national growth,” Kukah said.
He cautioned against emotional reactions, noting that similar religious and security challenges exist in other parts of the world.
Also, the regional leader of the Church of Christ in Nations, Evangelist Ezekiel Dachomo, hailed Trump’s statement as a “victory for Nigerian Christians.”
“The world is finally acknowledging the cries of Nigerian Christians who have suffered years of attacks without adequate protection,” Dachomo said.
He expressed hope that the move would push Nigerian authorities to take more decisive steps to protect citizens.
“We don’t hate Muslims. We hate terrorists and the evil that turns people against one another. This country belongs to all of us—both Christians and Muslims,” he added.