…As Trump Threatens Military Action in Nigeria Over Christian Killing

President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have vehemently rejected the designation, insisting the label “misrepresents Nigeria’s religious reality” and constitutional values.

In a statement on his X handle (formerly Twitter) titled “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty”.  President Tinubu stated that “since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions.

“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians.

“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.

“Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.

“Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on the protection of communities of all faiths”.

In another response by the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government argued that the violence and insecurity are due to generalised terrorism, banditry, and communal clashes, not religiously motivated targeting of specific faiths. They state that both Muslims and Christians are victims of these widespread security challenges.

Some Nigerian officials and lawmakers perceive the designation as a politically motivated move or a “gross misrepresentation of facts”.

The Federal Government of Nigeria, in an official reaction on Saturday, rejected remarks by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, alleging mass killings of Christians in Nigeria and declaring the country a “Country of Particular Concern.”

In a statement issued by Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government said the claims “do not reflect the situation on the ground.”

“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,” the statement said.

While the government said it “appreciates global concern for human rights and religious freedom,”

It maintained that the allegations were inaccurate. Under the leadership of Bola Tinubu, Nigeria “remains committed to fighting terrorism, strengthening inter-faith harmony, and protecting the lives and rights of all its people,” the ministry added.

The statement emphasised that Nigeria would “continue to engage constructively with the Government of the United States to deepen mutual understanding of regional dynamics and the country’s ongoing peace and security efforts.”

On his part, the controversial Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, described the claims of genocide against Christians in Nigeria as politically motivated and targeted towards the 2027 elections.

Gumi stated this in a post shared on his Facebook page, accusing some religious figures in Nigeria of collaborating with foreign powers to advance divisive agendas. He insisted that the U.S. has no business interfering in Nigeria’s internal security issues.

His words, “Nigeria under their evil eye of religious bigotry! It is evident now we are sharing a country not only with evil people from banditry, BH, IPOB and other criminals, as confessed recently by the governor of Anambra, Soludo, we have many unpatriotic bigot clerics that are aiding imperialists to divide us further so that they can pillage our resources. Otherwise, what can they even do?”

Gumi argued that the United States currently faces internal struggles and should not dictate narratives or policies to Nigeria.

“At a time when Americans are lining up for food rations, what concerns them with our internal problems? Yes, this is not to say efforts are not being made to tackle insecurity, but the right combination of strategies is what is lacking to nail it completely. Now they want to compound the problem. All the bluff is about 2027.”

The cleric further warned that some groups operating under the guise of humanitarian organisations had previously armed violent groups and could attempt to repeat the same pattern.

“Those who armed the outlaws as NGOs and come around to claim piety. The danger to us is that they form and start arming another militia like they have done in other places.”

Gumi, therefore, called for a stronger, more assertive Nigerian foreign policy and urged citizens to be wary of internal actors he described as “unpatriotic” and aiding foreign interests.

On Friday night, President Trump announced via his Truth Social account, subsequently shared on the White House’s 𝕏 (formerly Twitter) handle, that he had designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” citing what he described as an existential threat to Christianity in the country:

Trump Threatens Military Action in Nigeria Over Christian Killing

In a follow-up development on Saturday, US President Donald Trump has threatened to carry out attacks in Nigeria in response to purported anti-Christian violence, saying he instructed the recently renamed Department of War to “prepare for possible action”.

In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said the United States would immediately cut off all assistance to the African country “if the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians”.

The US “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 added, without specifying which groups or alleged “atrocities” he was referring to.

“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!” he wrote.

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