Nigeria ‘welcomes US assistance’ to fight ‘terrorism’ after Trump’s threats

After US President Donald Trump threatened military action in the West African nation over what he claimed was persecution of Christians there, Nigeria says it would welcome assistance from the US as long as its territorial integrity is upheld.

Trump claimed in a social media post on Saturday that he had asked the Defense Department to prepare for a potential “fast” military strike against Nigeria if the continent’s most populous nation doesn’t stop the “killing of Christians.”

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Nigeria’s presidency’s representative, Daniel Bwala, stated to the Reuters news agency on Sunday that the nation would “welcome US assistance as long as it recognizes our territorial integrity.”

By the time these two leaders meet and convene, “our collective resolve to combat terrorism will have better outcomes,” Bwala continued.

Trump stated in his post that if the Nigerian government continues to permit the killing of Christians, the US would immediately stop providing any assistance to the nation.

Bola Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, earlier rebuffed accusations of religious intolerance and supported his country’s efforts to defend religious freedom.

Our administration has engaged with Christian and Muslim leaders since 2023, and it continues to address security issues that affect people of all faiths and regions, according to a statement from Tinubu.

The government’s repeated and sincere efforts to protect the freedom of religion and beliefs of all Nigerians are not taken into account when describing Nigeria as being religiously intolerant, nor does it reflect our country’s reality.

Nigeria’s population, which is more than 200 million, is divided between the country’s north, which is largely Muslim, and the south, which is largely Christian.

Armed groups have been at odds with a conflict that has lasted for more than 15 years and has mostly lasted in the northeast of the nation. According to analysts, the majority of the victims were Muslims, compared to Christians.

No Christian genocide, please.

Experts claim that there has been no “Christian genocide” because human rights organizations have urged the government to do more to combat the country’s unrest. Boko Haram and other armed groups have carried out deadly attacks on the country, but they are simplistic and false.

According to Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian humanitarian lawyer and analyst on conflict and development, “all the data reveals that there is no Christian genocide going on in Nigeria.” President Trump is “amplifying a dangerous far-right narrative that has been simmering for a long time.”

According to Bukarti, “It is divisive, and it will only make Nigeria more unstable,” adding that armed groups have targeted both Muslims and Christians in the country.

They “bomb” markets, They bomb churches. Everywhere they look for civilian targets are attacked by them, including mosques. They don’t treat Muslims or Christians differently.

The Trump administration should work with Nigerian authorities, according to Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow of Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC.