U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he has directed the Pentagon to prepare for potential “fast” military action in Nigeria if authorities fail to stop killings of Christians, and ordered an immediate halt to U.S. aid to the country.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said any deployment would go in “guns-a-blazing” to “wipe out” Islamist militants he accuses of atrocities, without providing evidence. He called Nigeria a “disgraced country” and warned Abuja to act quickly.
There was no immediate comment from the White House on timing. The U.S. Defense Department referred questions to the White House, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X that the “Department of War is preparing for action,” saying Nigeria must protect Christians or face U.S. strikes on “Islamic Terrorists.”
Trump’s remarks followed his administration’s decision to return Nigeria to the U.S. list of “Countries of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations, alongside China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia and Pakistan.
Before Trump’s post, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected accusations of religious intolerance, saying the description “does not reflect our national reality” and citing constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. The Foreign Ministry said Nigeria would continue fighting violent extremism and sought to maintain close ties with Washington, pledging to protect all citizens regardless of faith.
The U.S. military presence in West Africa shrank after about 1,000 troops withdrew from Niger last year. The U.S. maintains its largest African base in Djibouti, hosting over 5,000 personnel.
Trump had previously designated Nigeria a country of concern during his first term; it was removed from the list by President Joe Biden in 2021. On Friday, Trump said “thousands of Christians” were being killed by radical Islamists, without details.
Nigeria, home to more than 200 ethnic groups and Christian, Muslim and traditional faiths, has seen periodic communal violence and an Islamist insurgency led by Boko Haram in the northeast that has killed tens of thousands over 15 years. Rights experts note many victims of Boko Haram have been Muslims.
Some U.S. lawmakers welcomed the redesignation. A fiscal 2026 House appropriations bill boosts funding for international religious freedom and programs aiding Nigerian communities targeted by extremist violence. The concern listing could enable measures including sanctions or waivers, though none are automatic.
Trump urged congressional scrutiny, writing that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria, again without specifics.