The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has confirmed that his department is preparing for possible military action in Nigeria, following a directive from President Donald Trump to respond to what Washington calls the “mass killing of Christians” in the country.
Hegseth disclosed this on Saturday in reaction to a Truth Social post by Trump, in which the U.S. president accused the Nigerian government of “turning a blind eye” to attacks on Christians allegedly carried out by Islamist extremists.
Trump warned that the U.S. could cut off all aid to Nigeria and launch a military operation against the groups responsible.
“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA 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.
“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.”
Responding on X (formerly Twitter), Hegseth confirmed that the Department of War had begun initial preparations for a potential intervention.
“Yes sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately,” Hegseth wrote. “The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
The development comes just a day after Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act, citing alleged persecution of Christians — a move that immediately drew criticism from Abuja.
Reacting, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected Trump’s remarks, describing them as “unfounded and politically motivated.”
“Nigeria is a democracy grounded in constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and belief,” Tinubu said. “We remain committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of all faiths. Any suggestion otherwise is both misleading and damaging.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also dismissed Washington’s position, calling it “a misrepresentation of Nigeria’s complex security challenges.”
