Diplomatic relations between the United States and Nigeria further soured on Saturday following U.S President Donald Trump’s military threat against Nigeria.
Trump’s military threat, coupled with the designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for alleged failures to curb the persecution of Christians, has ignited a firestorm of debate across Nigeria.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump declared he had instructed the Pentagon—referred to as the “Department of War”—to prepare for possible intervention, warning that if the Nigerian government “continues to allow the killing of Christians,” the U.S may “go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing.'”
Trump wrote: “If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA 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 had better move fast!”
Following Trump’s military threat against Nigeria, Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of War, announced that his department is ready for action if the Nigerian government fails to end the “killing of innocent Christians” in the country.
“Yes sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately,” Hegseth wrote.
“The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
Tinubu’s Reaction
However, President Bola Tinubu has pushed back against the CPC designation, defending the country’s constitutional guarantees for religious freedom.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Nigerian President affirmed the commitment of his administration to protecting all citizens, irrespective of faith, and condemned the “characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant.”
Nigerians React: Sovereignty vs. Security
Meanwhile, the reactions of Nigerians to Trump’s military threat against Nigeria have been diverse. Many citizens, political analysts, and commentators have rejected the threat, viewing it as a gross violation of international law and a deeply disrespectful intrusion into Nigeria’s internal affairs.
Some have also argued that such action, if taken, would destabilize the country and lead to an even greater humanitarian crisis.
However, others expressed a deep frustration with the Nigerian government’s failure to tackle insecurity, suggesting that the U.S warning, though extreme, highlights a painful reality.
The legality and ethics of Trump’s military action against Nigeria have also become major discussion points.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that international law strictly guards the sovereignty of member nations, making a unilateral military strike based on domestic religious freedom concerns controversial.
Reacting to the development, an economist and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu slammed the Nigerian government for the situation.
According to him, the narrative of the alleged Christian genocide is a reflection of the narrative in Nigeria.
However, he stated that the victims of terrorists in Nigeria also include Muslims.
He stated: “The narrative of ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria is a reference to a more sophisticated reality. I am Nigerian. I know the realities of my country. I also have access to top policymaking circles in several capitals around the world.
“The bald fact is that Boko Haram is a terrorist group with avowedly fanatic religious motivations. The victims of its terror include Muslims who don’t share their extreme interpretations of Islam, and Christians.
“The victims of killings in the Middle Belt are predominantly Christians. The narratives of a struggle for resources of land and water and farmlands are not valid when whole communities are being massacred and evicted from their ancestral dwellings.
“Nothing justifies this, not even a felt need for grazing lands. The right to life and other fundamental rights are being shredded both by Boko Haram and extremist herdsmen. This invokes the responsibility of @NigeriaGov to protect Nigerians and Nigerian territory. Period. No excuses. With a security strategy made evident by its effectiveness, Nigeria should then engage the influential foreign countries expressing interest in this matter.”
Also, a Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Abuja, Rev. Fr. Chinenye John Oluoma, in his reaction said: “What comes around goes round. During GEJ’s administration, Tinubu wrote in 2014: “the slaughtering of Christian worshippers is strongly condemnable. It calls into question the competence of Jonathan to protect Nigerians”
“We know how some Northern politicians then got Obama to designate Nigeria too and the negative consequences for GEJ’s government.
“That slaughtering continued with Buhari’s administration and hasn’t stopped yet. So, instead of exasperating myself on what term to use and describe the deaths, I’d rather call our attention to the fact that history( bad ones for that matter) repeats itself in Nigeria. This should be a bigger worry for us.
“The USA has made its decision. Arguments about whether there’s genocide or not are both unnecessary now and insensitive to the victims of bloodshed in Nigeria. There is genocide in Nigeria against ordinary Nigerians, and the government should take all the blame for not living up to its responsibility.
“Genocide is going on in the North, in the Middle Belt, in the South-South, and in the South-East. Christians, Muslims, and non-believers are among the victims. If it will take this designation by the US to wake the federal government up to ruthlessly go after the killers, why should anyone quarrel with it?”
Reacting also to the development, a human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has warned Nigerians against celebrating Trump’s recent threat of military intervention in Nigeria.
Sowore, in his opinion, described Trump’s military threat against Nigeria as “perilous”.
He said Nigerians should instead focus on internal reforms instead of relying on foreign powers.
Sowore stated: “The latest threat by US President Donald Trump to launch military action in Nigeria, allegedly to protect Christians, may sound appealing to some. Still, history has shown this to be perilous.
“Whether you are Christian, Muslim, animist, or non-religious, no one should celebrate such rhetoric.
“The United States and its allies have a long record of military interventions that leave nations more unstable than before.
“They failed to secure peace in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, or Syria, and they won’t bring salvation to Nigeria through bombs or boots on the ground.
“What Nigeria truly needs is not a foreign saviour, but legitimate, accountable leadership, one that protects all citizens, upholds justice, and ends the cycles of corruption and violence that have left the nation broken.
“Donald Trump does not care about Nigerians, not Christians, Muslims, or anyone else.
“Our deliverance will never come from abroad; it must come from within, through real leadership and national renewal.”
The 2023 Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and a former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, also urged Nigerians to remain united.
In a post on X on Sunday, Kwankwaso said he is concerned by the designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
He said: “I have noted with increasing concern the heightened pronouncements on Nigeria by President Donald Trump. This follows his designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
“It is important to emphasise that our country is a sovereign nation whose people face different threats from outlaws across the country. The insecurity we face does not distinguish based on religious, ethnic, or political beliefs.
“The United States should assist the Nigerian authorities with better cutting-edge technology to tackle these problems, rather than posing a threat that could further polarise our country.
“The Nigerian government should also consider appointing special envoys from its distinguished diplomats to engage the American government. Additionally, it is necessary to appoint permanent ambassadors to represent Nigeria’s interests on the international stage.
“To my fellow countrymen, this is an important moment where we should emphasise unity of belonging over division.”
Below are some other reactions to Trump’s military threat against Nigeria;
