U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that he may order military strikes in Nigeria over alleged violence against Christians, saying he has instructed the newly renamed Department of War to “prepare for possible action.”


In a post shared on social media on Saturday, Trump said the United States would halt all assistance to Nigeria “if the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians.”


“The U.S. may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns blazing, to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote, without specifying which groups or incidents he was referring to.
He added: “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 Nigerian government has yet to issue an official response to the threat.


Trump’s comments came a day after Nigeria was added to the U.S. Department of State’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern,” which monitors religious persecution globally. The move follows increasing claims by far-right U.S. figures that violent conflicts in Nigeria amount to “Christian genocide.”


Experts and human rights analysts, however, have rejected this framing.
“There is no Christian genocide going on in Nigeria,” said Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian lawyer and conflict analyst, in an interview with Al Jazeera. “This is a dangerous, far-right narrative that President Trump is amplifying. It’s divisive and will only fuel instability.”


He noted that armed groups such as Boko Haram and bandit militias have attacked both Muslims and Christians indiscriminately.
“They bomb markets, churches, mosques — any civilian target they find,” Bukarti added.


Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow for Africa Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, also cautioned against Trump’s proposed invasion.
“This is precisely the time when Nigeria needs support, especially military assistance,” he said. “Overriding Nigerian authorities would be counterproductive.”


In response, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu released a statement emphasizing his government’s efforts to ensure national security and protect citizens of all faiths.
“Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” Tinubu said. “The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality.”


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed that sentiment, with spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to unity and religious freedom.
“Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength,” Ebienfa said.