United States Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has said that the Department of War was preparing for possible military action in Nigeria, following President Donald Trump’s directive over alleged killings of Christians in the country.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Hegseth confirmed that preparations were underway, responding directly to Trump’s earlier comments threatening to intervene in what he described as “anti-Christian violence” in Nigeria.
“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.”
His statement came hours after President Trump warned that the U.S. could “go into” Nigeria if the government fails to stop attacks on Christians.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria,” Trump said in a post. “We 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.”
The U.S. president added that he had instructed the recently renamed Department of War “to prepare for possible action,” vowing that any U.S. attack would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
“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!” he wrote.
Trump also announced on Friday that Nigeria would be added to the U.S. Department of State’s list of Countries of Particular Concern, a designation for nations accused of tolerating or engaging in religious persecution.
He blamed radical Islamists for what he called the “mass slaughter” of Christians in Nigeria.
Reacting to the U.S. president’s comments, President Bola Tinubu rejected the designation and dismissed the claims of systematic persecution.
According to Tinubu, Nigeria remains a democratic nation “anchored on constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and belief.”
The Nigerian government is yet to officially respond to the fresh threats of U.S. military action.
