During the night between Sunday and Monday, the American President once again threatened air strikes against Islamists in Nigeria. The Abuja government: “We will clarify”
After the first warnings on Saturday, the American President Donald Trump has returned to threaten the Nigerian authorities, accused of inaction in the face of the killing of the country’s Christians. «There could be air strikes and the sending of ground troops to Nigeria», he declared in the night between Sunday and Monday tycoon aboard Air Force One.
The US administration stated that, if the Nigerian authorities do not stop the “massacre of Christians”, the United States will suspend all aid and act “quickly, ferociously and effectively”».
Trump’s words and the Nigerian response
The pressure has already begun, the United States has in fact designated Nigeria as “Country of particular concern” (CPC) With this move, Nigeria joins a blacklist that includes North Korea, Russia and China, countries considered by Washington to be the worst violators of religious freedom in the world.
Trump cited the figure of as many as 3,100 Christians killed. These statements found strong support in American evangelical circles and from Republican senators Ted Cruzwho proposed the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025” for sanction Nigerian officials believed to be complicit.
Lagos’ response was very diplomatic. Daniel Bwalaspokesperson for the President Bola Ahmed Tinubuunderlined on part of his «unique communication style» and not as a literal intention.
The Nigerian government has rejected the characterization of the country as intolerant, with President Tinubu saying: “Religious freedom and tolerance are fundamental to our shared identity.”
Daniel Bwala then stated that «when the leaders meet, I am sure they will have the opportunity to clarify these issues. There is no genocide taking place in Nigeria; rather, the nation is facing serious security challenges that have affected people of all faiths, including Christians.”
Bwala therefore concluded that «Nigeria remains a sovereign nation and, while collaboration with international partners in addressing insecurity is welcome, any form of intervention must respect our sovereignty.”
The complex religious and security reality
Nigeria has an almost balanced religious composition: 50-52% Muslim and 46-48% Christian. However, this division is not uniform: the north has a Muslim majority, the south is predominantly Christian.
The Islamist insurgency in the north is dominated by Boko Haramwhose name in the Hausa language means “Western education is a sin”. Since 2002, the group has caused between 20,000 and 30,000 direct deaths, displacing more than 2.3 million people.
According to the Nigerian organization Intersociety, over 50,000 Christians were reportedly killed by Islamic extremists between 2009 and 2023, as well as approximately 34,000 Muslims. In fact, Boko Haram is not the only terrorist organization operating in the country, where it is also present the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Interfaith relations are sometimes intertwined with economic ones, as in some federated states in the central area of the country, including Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa and southern Kaduna.
Here the struggle for territory between settled farmers and nomadic shepherds also takes on religious connotationswith mostly Christian farmers and shepherds adhering to Islam. The clash is often brutal: in July, some attackers (almost certainly Muslim shepherds) attacked the Christian agricultural village of Yelwata, in Benue State, killing more than 200 people.
For decades, Washington has provided significant military aid to the Nigerian military, including armored vehicles, nearly $1 billion in future AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters, specialized training and logistical support.
It cannot therefore be ruled out that President Trump’s pressure is aimed at engaging the Nigerian government more vigorously in the fight against Islamic extremismwhich now sees its new nerve center in the West African region.
