Trump threatens to cut aid to Nigeria, escalates claim of Christian persecution

President Trump threatened to stop all aid to Nigeria and has instructed the Pentagon to "prepare for possible action" in the West African country, accusing the country's government of allegedly failing to rein in the persecution of Christians.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Mr. Trump accused the Nigerian government for a second-straight day of not doing enough to prevent the killings of Christians. He threatened that the U.S. "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."

"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!" Mr. Trump wrote.

In a post to X Saturday night in response to Mr. Trump's statement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote, "Yes sir."

"The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action," Hegseth wrote. "Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities."

The Department of War is the Trump administration's preferred term for the Defense Department. "

The Nigerian government has vehemently rejected the claims, and analysts say that while Christians are among those targeted, the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria's Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur.

Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said Saturday on social media that the characterization of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country does not reflect the national reality.

"Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so," Tinubu said. "Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths."

The warning of possible military action follows an announcement on Friday that he would designate Nigeria "a country of particular concern" as it relates to religious freedom, a move that had been pushed by some U.S. lawmakers.

The designation does not necessarily mean that sanctions, which could include a ban on all non-humanitarian aid, will be imposed, but it is one step ahead of that.

"Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria," Mr. Trump said in a social media post. "Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a 'COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN.'"

Mr. Trump said he would be asking several U.S. lawmakers to look into the matter and report back on what the response to the designation should be.

"The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!" Mr. Trump said.

Designating a "country of particular concern" under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act is an executive prerogative that normally follows recommendations from both the congressionally mandated U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the State Department.

The State Department usually releases its annual Report on International Religious Freedom in the spring, but has not yet done so this year. The report may or may not include "particular concern" designations, which can be done at any time. And, such designations, which authorize U.S. penalties, do not necessarily impose sanctions.

The State Department's most recent religious freedom reports cover 2023 and were released last year under the Biden administration. These reports, like others on broader human rights and human trafficking, cover the previous calendar year and are often late in being submitted.

The designation comes after Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has been trying to rally fellow evangelical Christians to urge Congress to designate Nigeria as a violator of religious freedom with claims of "Christian mass murder."

Nigeria was first placed on the "country of particular concern" list by the U.S. in 2020 in what the State Department called "systematic violations of religious freedom." But the designation did not single out attacks on Christians. The designation was lifted in 2023 in what many saw as a way to improve ties between the countries ahead of a visit by then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken.