Washington, DC – CNN reported Tuesday that US President Donald Trump expressed outrage toward Nigeria and threatened military intervention and the suspension of aid. This came after he watched a Fox News report about the targeting of Christians in the country.
The network, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported that Trump was en route to Florida last Friday when he saw the report. He “immediately flew into a rage and demanded more information from his aides about the incident.” The sources explained that officials from the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) were urgently summoned. This came after Trump’s post hinting at “possible military action” in Nigeria.
In early November 2025, Trump threatened the Nigerian government with cutting off aid. He also threatened “military intervention to wipe out Islamic terrorists” if it did not take immediate action to protect Christians from attacks, writing on Truth Social: “If the Nigerian government continues to allow Christians to be killed, I will immediately cut off all aid. We may take full forceful action to wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these atrocities.”
Trump indicated that he had directed the Pentagon to prepare for possible action. He asserted that any US attack would be “swift and decisive,” and called on the Nigerian government to take immediate action.
For his part, Daniel Bwala, an aide to Nigerian President Bola Tinbo, said the two leaders might meet next week at the White House or in Nigeria. The aim is to discuss ways to protect Christians from terrorist attacks, he said, adding that disagreements over whether the attacks target only Christians or all religious groups “will be discussed and resolved amicably between the two sides.”
Buala added that Nigeria “appreciates Trump’s support in the fight against terrorism.” He also noted that the former US president “provided significant support to his country by approving arms sales. These sales contributed to achieving tangible results against terrorist groups.”
In a related context, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the Department of Defense is preparing “to take action against Islamic terrorists in Nigeria. This is based on the directives of President Trump.”
