Donald Trump warns Nigeria that US troops or airstrikes ‘could be’ used to prevent killing of Christians
Donald Trump has claimed that Christians in Nigeria are being killed “in very large numbers” and suggested that U.S. military intervention, including possible airstrikes, could be considered to stop the violence.
In a recent post on Truth Social, the former U.S. president alleged that radical Islamist groups are carrying out “mass slaughter” and that Christianity is facing “an existential threat” in Nigeria. When asked by reporters aboard Air Force One whether this could involve deploying American troops or airstrikes, Trump responded, “Could be. I mean, other things. I envisage a lot of things. They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria… We’re not going to allow that to happen.”
Nigeria responded to the remarks by saying it is open to U.S. assistance in combating Islamist insurgents, provided that its sovereignty is respected. “We welcome U.S. assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity,” said Daniel Bwala, a senior adviser to President Bola Tinubu, in an interview with Reuters.
Despite Trump’s criticism—calling Nigeria a “disgraced country”—Bwala emphasised that relations between the two nations remain cordial. President Tinubu also dismissed claims that Nigeria is “religiously intolerant,” asserting that his government is committed to protecting the freedom of religion and belief.
“The depiction of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our reality,” Tinubu stated. “Our government consistently works to ensure religious freedom for all Nigerians.”
Nigeria is currently listed by the U.S. as a “country of particular concern” over religious freedom violations, alongside nations such as North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China.
The Islamist group Boko Haram—responsible for the 2014 abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls—has been central to the violence cited in U.S. and international reports. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, more than 37,000 people have been killed by Islamist groups in Nigeria since 2011.
Nigeria, home to over 200 million people, is roughly divided between a predominantly Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. The insurgency, which has lasted over 15 years, remains concentrated in the northeast. Analysts note that while Christians have been victims, the majority of those killed in the conflict have been Muslims.