Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary of War, says his department is preparing for possible military action in Nigeria.
Hegseth made the statement on Saturday in response to a post by US President Donald Trump on Truth Social, in which the president accused the Nigerian government of “turning a blind eye” to persistent attacks on Christians.
In the post, Trump warned that the United States would withdraw all forms of aid and could launch a military operation against terrorist groups in Nigeria.
“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!”
Responding on X (formerly Twitter), Hegseth reaffirmed the US president’s stance, saying the Department of War had begun preparations.
“Yes sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately,” Hegseth wrote.
“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 development comes a day after President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged religious persecution, citing what he called a “mass slaughter” of Christians by radical Islamist groups.
In response, President Bola Tinubu rejected Trump’s description of Nigeria, insisting that the country remains a democracy grounded in constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and belief.
