Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of War, has announced that his department is preparing for possible military intervention if the Nigerian government does not stop what he described as the “killing of innocent Christians” in the country.
Hegseth made the comment on Saturday in response to a Truth Social post by U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the Nigerian government of ignoring attacks on Christians.
“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.
Trump’s post continued, “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!”
Reacting to Trump’s remarks, Hegseth quoted the post on X, writing, “Yes sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately.”
“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 Secretary of War stated.
The latest threat follows Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged Christian genocide, accusing radical Islamists of orchestrating a “mass slaughter” of Christians.
In response, President Bola Tinubu rejected the designation, maintaining that Nigeria remains a democratic nation built on constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and tolerance.
Meanwhile, the Presidency announced that President Tinubu will soon meet with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, to address the Christian genocide allegations. Tinubu’s aide, Daniel Bwala, disclosed this on his X page.
If Trump follows through with his military threat, it would mark the first foreign invasion of Nigeria in over 65 years of the nation’s existence.
