The United States (US) President Donald Trump has threatened to halt all American aid and potentially launch military action if Nigeria fails to curb what he described as the "killing of Christians by Islamic terrorists."
Trump’s post on Saturday via his Truth Social platform claimed that Christianity is under siege in Nigeria and accused the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to the violence.
"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," he said.
He further stated that he had directed the Department of Defense, referred to as the "Department of War" in his post, to prepare for "possible action," adding that any US strike would be "fast, vicious, and sweet."
"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," he added.
The post concluded with an ultimatum: "WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!"
Although, Nigeria’s government has yet to issue an official response to Trump’s latest statement, officials have previously rejected claims of systematic religious persecution.
Recall that Trump had on Friday labelled the country a "Country of Particular Concern," accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to protect Christians from extremist violence.
Tinubu swiftly rejected the designation, describing Nigeria as "a democracy governed by the rule of law and religious freedom."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also dismissed Trump’s assertions as "inconsistent with realities on the ground."
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