• Nigeria hails US help, says its territorial integrity must be respected
• President Bola Tinubu hopes to meet his US counterpart, says adviser

WASHINGTON/LAGOS/ABUJA: US Presi­dent Donald Trump on Saturday said he has asked the Department of Defence to prepare for possible “fast” military action in Nigeria if the West African nation fails to crack down on what he described as the killing of Christians by militants.

The US government will also immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and top oil producer, Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

If the US sends in military forces, it would go in “guns-a-blazing” to completely wipe out the terrorists, who are committing these horrible atrocities, Trump wrote, without providing any evidence of specifics about the treatment of Christians in Nigeria.

Trump called Nigeria a “disgraced country” and warned its government must move quickly.

“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians!” he wrote.

Although the US Department of Defence referred Reuters to the White House for comment on Trump’s threat, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth released a social media post of his own.

“The Department of War [is] preparing for action,” Hegseth wrote on X.

Trump’s post on Nigeria came a day after his administration added Nigeria back to a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations that the US says have violated religious freedom. Other nations on the list include China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia and Pakistan.

‘Must respect sovereignty’

Nigeria said it would welcome US help in fighting the insurgents as long as its territorial integrity is respected.

“We welcome US assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity,” Daniel Bwala, an adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

The Nigerian president is also hoping to meet with Trump, he added.

“I am sure by the time these two leaders [Tinubu and Trump] meet and sit, there would be better outcomes in our joint resolve to fight terrorism,” he said.

Before Trump posted his attack threat, Nigerian President Tinubu¸ a Muslim from southern Nigeria who is married to a Christian pastor, on Saturday pushed back against accusations of religious intolerance and defended his country’s efforts to protect religious freedom.

Nigeria, a country of more than 200 million people and around 200 ethnic groups, is divided between the largely Muslim north and mostly Christian south.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2025