Former US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could carry out additional military strikes in Nigeria if attacks on Christians continue.
Trump made this known during an interview with The New York Times, where he was asked whether the Christmas Day missile strikes against the Islamic State terror group were a one-off action or the beginning of a broader military campaign.
According to him, the strikes were not necessarily the end of US involvement. While he said he would prefer it to be a single operation, he made it clear that further action remains an option if violence against Christians persists.
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” Trump said. “But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”
The warning comes about a month after Trump openly threatened to deploy US troops to Nigeria, claiming they would go in “guns-a-blazing” to wipe out terrorists allegedly killing Christians. His comments echoed long-standing claims by some US politicians that Christians are facing genocide in parts of Nigeria.
However, Nigerian authorities have pushed back strongly against that narrative. According to Ademola Oshodi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Nigeria retained full control over the decision-making process surrounding the Christmas Day operation, despite US involvement.
The Federal Government has also repeatedly denied claims that Christians are being deliberately targeted. Officials insist that the country’s security challenges are complex and affect people of different religious backgrounds.
In October, Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, noted that extremist groups like Boko Haram and ISIS have killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria. When asked about this during the interview, Trump acknowledged that Muslims are also victims but maintained that Christians are being targeted more.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria,” he said. “But it’s mostly Christians.”
The comments have once again stirred debate around Nigeria’s security crisis, foreign intervention, and how the conflict is being framed internationally. As pressure mounts, attention remains on how Nigeria will balance its sovereignty with growing global concern over insecurity within its borders.
