U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Nigeria, saying Washington could cut off all aid and even take military action if Abuja does not stop what he described as the “killing of Christians.”

In a recorded address, Trump ordered U.S. defence officials to draw up contingency plans and said bluntly: “If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killings of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria. We are going to do things to Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about.” He added that any action would be “fast and vicious,” and said he had instructed the Department of Defence to prepare possible options.

The threat follows Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” on religious freedom — a move that prompted immediate diplomatic pushback in Abuja and alarm among international observers. Nigerian officials have angrily rejected the claim that their government tolerates targeted killings of Christians, stressing that the country’s security crisis affects people across faiths and regions.

White House and Pentagon sources say planning orders were given; in Abuja, diplomats warned the rhetoric risks escalating tensions and undermining quiet diplomacy.

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