The United States government has signalled it may take military action against militants in Nigeria if the federal authorities there do not halt what the US president called the “killing of Christians,” escalating a diplomatic row between the two countries.
In posts on social media over the weekend, President Donald Trump warned that the United States would “immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria” and said he had instructed the renamed Department of War to “prepare for possible action.” He added that any strike would be “fast, vicious, and sweet,” aimed at groups he described as Islamic terrorists.
The White House message was echoed by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who — under the administration’s rebranding of the Pentagon as the “Department of War” — said the department was “preparing for action” if the Nigerian government failed to protect Christians.
The remarks have prompted alarm among diplomats and rights groups, who warned that unilateral military intervention would carry serious legal and humanitarian risks.
Nigeria’s government rejected the characterisation that it was permitting a campaign of violence against Christians and called for dialogue rather than threats. Officials in Abuja stressed the need for verified evidence and for cooperation with international partners to tackle extremism and communal violence.
Observers said the exchange marks a sharp escalation of rhetoric by the US administration, which last month issued an executive order to allow use of the “Department of War” styling for the defence ministry — a move critics say is largely symbolic but which many fear signals a more muscular US posture abroad. Analysts urged restraint and called on both capitals to pursue diplomacy to defuse tensions.