President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that the United States will immediately cut off aid and assistance to Nigeria if its government fails to stop the ongoing slaughter of Christians, warning that the U.S. military is preparing for potential action.
“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 wrote on Truth Social.
“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!”
The announcement followed Trump’s decision Friday to restore Nigeria to the U.S. list of countries of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act. The move highlights what Trump called a humanitarian and moral crisis in Nigeria, where Islamist extremists have targeted Christian communities for years.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump wrote. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’—but that is the least of it.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the directive in a post on X. “The Department of War is preparing for action,” he wrote. “Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pushed back against claims of religious intolerance, saying the characterization “does not reflect our national reality.” In a statement, Tinubu said his government remains committed to protecting freedom of religion and belief for all Nigerians, citing “constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”
Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement saying it would continue to fight violent extremism and “defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion.” The ministry added, “Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has struggled for years with terrorist attacks and violence against both Christians and Muslims, including assaults on churches and villages blamed on Islamist militants and armed criminal groups.
Trump’s announcement signals one of the strongest warnings yet from Washington and reaffirms his administration’s stated commitment to defending persecuted Christians worldwide.
