U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the military to prepare for possible action in Nigeria, saying Islamist militant groups are killing Christians in large numbers and accusing the government of failing to protect them.
Trump did not specify which killings he was referring to, but in recent months widespread reports have documented brutal attacks against Christian communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern regions.
“They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria,” Trump said Sunday. “They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.”
The president said he has instructed the Department of War to prepare for “possible action,” warning that the U.S. could deploy troops or carry out airstrikes unless Nigeria acts swiftly to stop the violence.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that any attack “will be fast, vicious and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians,” adding that all U.S. aid to the “now disgraced country” would be cut if it does not intervene.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly backed the president, replying that 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,” Hegseth wrote.
Trump also announced that he had declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” a U.S. State Department designation reserved for nations involved in severe violations of religious freedom.
Daniel Bwala, an adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, said Nigeria “would welcome U.S. help” in tackling jihadist groups but emphasized that the country remains sovereign. He said Trump’s comments should not be taken literally but viewed as a sign of his intent to help.
Tinubu responded by affirming his government’s commitment to protecting all communities, saying that violence in the country “affects people across faiths and regions.”
Still, Christian leaders have warned for years that believers are being specifically targeted by extremist groups. Human rights organizations estimate more than 52,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009, with over 7,000 murdered in 2025 alone. Thousands more have been kidnapped and more than 19,000 churches destroyed.
The violence is concentrated in the Middle Belt and northern states, where groups such as Boko Haram, ISIS affiliates and militant Fulani herdsmen have attacked villages, burned churches, abducted women and children and forced families from their homes.
Open Doors ranks Nigeria seventh on its 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution, estimating the nation accounts for more than 80 percent of all Christian deaths worldwide.
Despite the scale of the crisis, global attention has been limited. On HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher recently called out the lack of coverage, saying, “They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country.”
Christian advocacy groups such as Global Christian Relief have continued providing aid to those displaced, delivering food, shelter and trauma care to thousands. For many, Trump’s comments signal renewed international attention to a crisis that Nigerian believers have long endured largely alone.
