President Donald Trump on Saturday warned of potential U.S. military intervention in Nigeria and the suspension of all foreign aid if the Nigerian government continues “to allow the killing of Christians.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump said that if Nigeria does not stop the persecution, he may send U.S. troops “guns-a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
“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!”
This follows a Friday warning in which Trump threatened potential sanctions and labeled Nigeria a “country of particular concern” regarding religious freedom—a designation that Nigeria’s president rejected.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with 220 million people, is almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims. Insurgent groups such as Boko Haram have sought to impose an extremist version of Islamic rule, often targeting both communities.
In response to Trump’s claims, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pushed back on social media, stating that describing Nigeria as religiously intolerant “does not reflect our national reality.” He added that religious freedom “has been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so.”
Trump’s recent warnings follow heightened U.S. political attention on the issue. Earlier this month, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accused Nigeria of enabling a “massacre” against Christians and highlighted a growing number of attacks. The bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has also recommended Nigeria be designated a country of particular concern in its 2025 report, citing persecution of both Christians and Muslims.
Cruz introduced legislation calling for sanctions on Nigerian officials “ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists.”
Trump said in his Friday post that he was directing Representatives Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) “to immediately look into this matter.” He added, “The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!”
The threat comes amid an active U.S. military presence abroad. In August, the U.S. deployed forces in the southern Caribbean off Venezuela and conducted controversial strikes against vessels accused of narcotics trafficking.
Requests for comment from the Department of Defense and the Nigerian Embassy were not immediately answered.
According to the Associated Press, attacks in Nigeria have multiple motives, including religiously driven violence against both Christians and Muslims, as well as local communal and resource-based conflicts. Analysts note that while Christians are among those targeted, the majority of armed group victims are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north.
