U.S. President Donald J. Trump has issued a stark warning to the Nigerian government, threatening an immediate cessation of all U.S. aid and even potential military intervention over what he described as the government’s failure to stop the “killing of Christians” by “Islamic Terrorists.”
The statement, posted on the social media platform Truth Social on Saturday, included a direct threat of U.S. forces going into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
“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.” Trump said.
This threat of military action and aid suspension follows an earlier announcement by President Trump on Friday, that he was designating Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for allegedly failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.
In the Friday post, the U.S President claimed that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria” and blamed “radical Islamists” for “mass slaughter.”
The designation as a CPC is one of the most serious actions the U.S. government can take regarding violations of religious freedom, though it does not automatically result in sanctions.
The Trump administration had previously placed Nigeria on the CPC list in 2020 before its removal in 2023.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu immediately rejected the U.S. characterization of the country as religiously intolerant.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” President Tinubu stated. “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.” He explained.
Experts and analysts, while acknowledging the severe violence in Nigeria, caution that the conflicts are often complex and cannot be reduced solely to religious persecution of Christians. Many security challenges in Nigeria, including attacks by terrorist groups and clashes between herders and farmers, result in the killing of both Christians and Muslims.
A complete halt of U.S. aid would have significant consequences for Nigeria, which is a major recipient of U.S. foreign assistance.
U.S. aid supports vital programs in health (like PEPFAR for HIV/AIDS treatment), counter-terrorism, and development.
The U.S. administration had already initiated a temporary 90-day pause on new foreign aid commitments earlier in 2025 for a general review under the “America First” policy, though a waiver was issued for lifesaving medical services. The new threat would move beyond a pause to an immediate and full cut-off.
