United States President Donald Trump has issued a warning to Nigeria, claiming the U.S. could “enter guns-a-blazing” if the country “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”
In a post widely circulated on Saturday, Mr Trump alleged Christians in Nigeria were facing targeted attacks by Islamist militants and directed what he called the “Department of War” to prepare for potential action.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians,” he wrote, accusing Nigerian authorities of failing to protect religious minorities.
His comments appear to escalate his earlier remarks describing Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” due to what he called the “mass slaughter” of Christians.
The Nigerian government had swiftly rejected Mr Trump’s initial claims. President Bola Tinubu, in a statement personally signed on Saturday, said portraying Nigeria as religiously intolerant “does not reflect our national reality,” stressing that both Muslims and Christians have suffered from insecurity and violent extremism.
Mr Tinubu added that his administration has maintained active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders since 2023 while tackling security threats across regions.
Nigeria’s presidency has not yet issued a direct response to Mr Trump’s latest comments, which include a threat of potential military action language rarely used in diplomatic exchanges between the two nations.
Nigeria has battled insurgency, banditry, and communal violence for more than a decade, particularly in the North-East and North-West. While Christian communities have suffered targeted attacks, Muslim villagers, local leaders, and security personnel have also been killed by extremist groups and criminal gangs.
Abuja consistently argues that the violence is driven by terrorism and criminality rather than state-sanctioned persecution.