WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump has again warned that a possible American military operation in Nigeria could include both ground troops and air strikes, as part of Washington’s response to what he describes as the “mass killing of Christians in the country.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare a potential plan of attack.
Could be, I mean, a lot of things I envisage a lot of things, he said when asked whether U.S. troops could be deployed on Nigerian soil or if air raids were being considered.
They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen, Trump added.
The statement follows an explosive post on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Saturday, in which he revealed that he had asked U.S. defense officials to map out a strike plan against Nigeria.
The post came a day after he warned that Christianity faced an existential threat” in Africa’s most populous nation.
If Nigeria does not stop the killings, Trump wrote, the United States will attack, and it will be fast, vicious, and sweet just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.
Responding to the remarks, Daniel Bwala, spokesperson for Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, told AFP that Abuja remains a strategic U.S. partner in the global fight against terrorism.
Nigeria welcomes U.S. support to fight terrorism as long as it respects our territorial integrity, he said.
We do not see Trump’s post in the literal sense. We know that Donald Trump has his own style of communication, Bwala added, suggesting that the former U.S. president’s tone was aimed at prompting a meeting between the two leaders to strengthen security collaboration.
Bwala hinted that discussions were already in motion for a possible meeting between Tinubu and Trump in the coming days, either at the State House in Abuja or the White House in Washington.
As for whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or all faiths, any differences will be discussed and resolved when both leaders meet, he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Speaking from Washington, Bwala declined to give further details about the proposed meeting.
The Tinubu administration has dismissed claims that jihadist attacks in the country are specifically targeted at Christians.
In a social media post on Saturday, the President stated that the characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, insisting that terrorism in Nigeria affects citizens of all faiths.
Trump had earlier claimed that “thousands of Christians are being killed in Nigeria and that radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.
Trump’s threat comes after he recently reinstated Nigeria on the U.S. list of Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) a designation reserved for nations accused of severe violations of religious freedom.
The move has heightened diplomatic tensions between Washington and Abuja, prompting calls from political and religious leaders for dialogue.
Legal expert Wahab Shittu and former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso have urged President Tinubu to engage the U.S. diplomatically and seek stronger counterterrorism partnerships rather than confrontation.
