Trump threatens military action in Nigeria over alleged anti-Christian violence
Zuko Komisa
- US President Donald Trump ordered the military to prepare for action in Nigeria, accusing the government of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants.
- Nigeria’s President Tinubu and an advisor disputed the religious targeting claim and warned that any US military intervention would breach the country’s sovereignty.
- The threat was issued amid claims of a Christian genocide, (which monitoring groups dispute) and has caused alarm in Nigeria, though some officials downplayed Trump’s rhetoric.
President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to prepare for “possible action” in Nigeria, citing the need to tackle Islamist militant groups and accusing the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians.
In a social media post on Saturday, 1 November 2025, Trump warned he might dispatch US troops into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” and threatened to cut all aid unless the Nigerian government intervened.
He stated that any US attack would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth responded, confirming the “Department of War is preparing for action” and presenting the Nigerian government with an ultimatum: protect Christians, “or we will kill the Islamic Terrorist.
The threat has triggered alarm across Nigeria, with many urging the government to intensify its fight against Islamist groups to avert foreign intervention.
Trump’s threats come amid circulating claims in some right-wing US circles of a genocide against Nigeria’s Christians.
Groups monitoring violence in the country have stated there is no evidence to suggest that Christians are being killed more than Muslims. Nigeria is roughly evenly divided between followers of the two religions.
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