Trump threatens to launch attacks in Nigeria over ‘killing of Christians’
US President Donald Trump speaks to the media on board Air Force One as he returns to the United States on October 30, 2025 [Andrew Caballero/AFP]
Trump orders Pentagon to plan military action over Nigeria’s Christian persecution
According to the news US President Donald Trump said Saturday he has ordered the Defense Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria as he continues to accuse the nation of not doing enough to stem violence against Christians — an accusation Nigeria has repeatedly denied. Trump threatens to launch attacks in Nigeria over ‘killing of Christians’, he wrote, underlining his view that the killing of Christians there is an urgent crisis.
In a social media post criticizing what he called the “mass slaughter” of Christians in the country, Trump wrote the United States would “immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and warned the government there to “move fast.”
In the lengthy message, Trump said the US “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” , repeating claims about the killing of Christians that prompted his warning.
Both Christians and Muslims have been victims of attacks by radical Islamists in the country of more than 230 million people. The violence in the country is driven by varying factors: some incidents are religiously motivated and affect both groups, while others arise from disputes between farmers and herders over limited resources, as well as communal and ethnic tensions. Still, concerns about the killing of Christians have intensified international attention — so much so that some observers say Trump threatens to launch attacks in Nigeria over ‘killing of Christians’.
Although Christians are among those targeted, local reports indicate that most victims are Muslims living in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north.
“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!”
“Yes sir,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on social media with a screenshot of Trump’s comments.
Trump warns US could go 'guns-a-blazing' into Nigeria over 'killing of Christians'
“Christians must no longer be killed in Nigeria or anywhere else. On social media, the U.S. president wrote, “The Department of War is preparing for action. Trump threatens to launch attacks in Nigeria over ‘killing of Christians.'” We will either kill the Islamic terrorists who are carrying out these heinous crimes or the Nigerian government will defend Christians.
Following his designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act—a move that indicates U.S. findings of “systematic, ongoing (and) egregious violations of religious freedom”—Trump made the announcement. Citing what he described as widespread attacks and the murder of Christians by extremist organizations, he contended that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria.”
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu offered his reply for the message on social media, remarking that the “characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” and emphasized that his administration is “working with the United States and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.” Tinubu’s office further said that Nigeria is dedicated to ensuring that all Nigerians experience freedom of religion and belief.
Tinubu‘s press secretary noted that attacks in Nigeria affect “Christians, Muslims, churches and mosques,” while calling the U.S. designation “a gross exaggeration of the Nigerian situation.” Bayo Onanuga insisted Nigeria requires “military assistance to fight these violent extremists in some of our states, and not designation as a country of particular concern.”