PRESIDENT Donald Trump has vowed to end all aid to Nigeria and deploy the United States military to fight terrorists in Africa’s most populous nation.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday night, Trump said should President Bola Tinubu-led administration fail to stop Christians’ killings, he would order a swift and vicious attack on Nigeria.
“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and 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.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”
The ICIR reported that Trump added Nigeria to countries on watchlist for Christian genocide on Friday, October 31.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he said.
He vowed that Nigeria would be added to the US “Countries of Particular Concern” list for nations accused of violating religious freedom.
According to the State Department’s website, the Countries of Particular Concern list also includes nations such as China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.
The US President said he had asked US Representatives Riley Moore and Tom Cole, along with the House Appropriations Committee, to investigate the issue and report their findings to him.
Responding, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissed the claims.
“The federal government of Nigeria notes the recent remarks by US President Donald Trump alleging large-scale killings of Christians in Nigeria and calling for the country’s designation as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’.
“These claims do not reflect the situation on the ground. Nigerians of all faiths have long lived, worked, and worshipped together peacefully,” said the ministry.
The government said while it appreciated global concern for human rights and religious freedom, the allegations were inaccurate and misrepresented the country’s realities.
The Nigerian government said under Tinubu’s leadership, the country remained committed to fighting terrorism, strengthening interfaith harmony, and protecting the lives and rights of all its people.
He argued that the portrayal of Nigeria as religiously intolerant did not reflect the reality in the country, adding that the government’s efforts to safeguard freedom of belief for all Nigerians remained consistent and sincere.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” Tinubu stated.
The president reaffirmed that Nigeria’s Constitution protects citizens of all faiths and that his administration was working closely with the United States government and the international community “to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.”
Last month, US lawmaker Riley Moore had urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take diplomatic action over what he described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria, calling it “the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian.” He also advocated suspending arms sales to Nigeria until measurable progress was made in curbing violence.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, had dismissed claims that terrorists in Nigeria deliberately target Christians while speaking earlier in the week on CNN.
“Some of the claims made by certain officials of the United States are based on faulty data and assumptions that the victims of this violence are largely Christians,” Idris said, adding that “Yes, there are Christians being attacked, but these criminals do not just target one religion. They target Christians, and they also target Muslims. We have seen that especially in the northern part of the country.”
The claims of Christians genocide in Nigeria stemmed from failures of successive governments to protect citizens, with thousands of people dying yearly from terrorists, bandits and other criminals.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org