U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he has directed the United States Department of Defense to prepare for possible military intervention in Nigeria if the West African nation does not take swift action against the killing of Christians. At the same time, he declared that all U.S. aid and assistance to the country will be cut off immediately.
This development marks a sharp escalation in U.S.–Nigeria relations and signals that religious-freedom concerns are now being publicly elevated to the level of potential military involvement. This heightens diplomatic tension and raises urgent questions about sovereignty, regional stability and U.S. foreign policy in Africa.
President Trump posted on his social-media platform that the USA “will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and warned that if the Nigerian government “continues to allow the killing of Christians … we 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.”
In the post, he added: “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”
The U.S. official designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) for religious-freedom violations was announced shortly before the military-action warning.
Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, rejected the accusations, saying: “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.”
Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement vowing to continue the fight against violent extremism and emphasised that the government “will defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed or religion.”
The U.S. military presence in West Africa has already been significantly reduced over the past year; most substantial U.S. bases on the continent are elsewhere like in East Africa.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and top oil producer, has long faced a range of security challenges—from the extremist insurgency of Boko Haram in the northeast to farmer-herder clashes and ethnic tensions. While Christians have indeed been victims of violence, observers note that many attacks also affect Muslims—especially in northern Nigeria.
Beyond this specific threat, the CPC designation opens doors to U.S. policy responses such as sanctions or visa restrictions. It remains unclear how the U.S. intends to proceed if Nigeria does not change course.
Africa Digital News, New York
