US President Donald Trump has threatened to send American troops to Nigeria, accusing the country of allowing Islamists to kill Christians.
Trump made the threat on social media on Saturday, saying the US military could go into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” if the government fails to protect Christians. He claimed, without evidence, that “radical Islamists” were behind a “mass slaughter” of Christians.
The president said he had ordered the Pentagon to prepare a possible plan of attack. “If we attack, it will be fast and vicious,” he wrote.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth confirmed that the Department of War was “preparing for action,” adding that the US would act if Nigeria did not stop the killings.
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected the accusation, saying that Nigeria values religious freedom and tolerance. “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” he said.
Experts note that Nigeria’s conflicts often involve both Christians and Muslims and are driven by competition for land and resources rather than religion alone.
