Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of War, says his department is preparing for possible military action if the Nigerian government fails to end the “killing of innocent Christians” in the country.
Hegseth made the statement Saturday, November 1, in response to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social, where Trump accused the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to 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. “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!”
Hegseth echoed the sentiment in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “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 remarks follow Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over allegations of Christian genocide. He blamed radical Islamists for the “mass slaughter” of Christians in Nigeria.
In response, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu rejected the designation, stating that Nigeria remains a democracy anchored on constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and belief.