President Donald Trump issued a fiery warning to Nigeria on Friday night, vowing to unleash U.S. military might if the African nation does not act swiftly to halt the slaughter of Christians by Islamist militants.
"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," Trump declared in a Truth Social post this evening.
The president went even further, ordering military preparations and promising a swift and brutal response. "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!"
Trump's message came just 24 hours after the U.S. State Department officially placed Nigeria on its "Countries of Particular Concern" list, a designation for governments that fail to safeguard religious freedom for their citizens.
Human rights groups have sounded alarms for years about Nigeria's escalating wave of anti-Christian violence. Intersociety, a Nigeria-based NGO, reported that more than 7,000 Christians were murdered in the first 220 days of 2025 alone.
Since 2009, the year Boko Haram began its bloody insurgency, the group's campaign of terror has claimed over 125,000 Christian lives and reduced 19,000 churches to rubble, according to the same report.
In response to its addition to the U.S. list, Nigeria's government insisted it remains committed to protecting all citizens equally. "The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion," the Nigerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday. "Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength."
The ministry went on to describe Nigeria as "a God-fearing country where we respect faith, tolerance, diversity and inclusion, in concurrence with the rules-based international order."
The issue of Christian persecution in Nigeria has increasingly drawn the attention of U.S. lawmakers. In September, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas introduced the "Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025," which aims to impose sanctions on Nigerian officials complicit in violence against religious minorities or those enforcing sharia and blasphemy laws.
The escalating rhetoric and international scrutiny have placed intense pressure on Nigeria's leadership, as Washington's patience -- and aid -- may soon run out.