Trump threatens to cut Nigeria aid over Christian killings, persecution

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States would immediately stop all aid to Nigeria if its government continued to authorize the killing of Christians, and that it could even enter the country “with guns blazing” to “completely eliminate the Islamist terrorists” responsible.

“I hereby direct our War Department to prepare for possible action,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social article. “If we attack, it will be swift, vicious and gentle, just like the terrorist thugs attack our DEAR Christians! WARNING: NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER ACT QUICKLY!”

The message comes after the president on Friday designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing widespread massacres of Christians.

I AM A CHRISTIAN FROM NIGER. DON’T IGNORE THE HORRIFYING ATTACKS ON AFRICAN CHRISTIANS

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said his country had taken steps to safeguard religious freedom. (Ton Molina/Getty Images)

“Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump said on Truth Social Friday. “Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass massacre. I hereby designate Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ – but that is the least I can do.”

He told Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Virginia Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and members of the House Appropriations Committee were tasked with reviewing the reports and presenting their findings to him at a later date.

“The United States cannot stand idly by while such atrocities occur in Nigeria and many other countries,” Trump wrote. “We are ready, willing and able to save our great Christian population throughout the world! »

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO INCREASING CRISIS OF PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Pope Leo XIV has condemned the killing of 200 people in the Yelewata community in Nigeria. (Associated Press)

The persecution of Christians in Nigeria has reached crisis levels, as Islamist militants burn villages, massacre worshipers and displace thousands of people in the northern and central regions.

In June, attackers invaded a bishop’s village days after he testified before Congress, killing more than twenty people.

Other attacks in Plateau and Benue states left hundreds dead, with survivors describing militants shouting “Allahu Akbar” as they burned churches and homes.

Members of St. Leo Catholic Church take out a procession to mark Palm Sunday in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria on April 13, 2025. (Adekunle Ajayi/Getty Images)

The international monitoring group Open Doors reported that nearly 70 percent of Christians killed for their faith last year were in Nigeria.

Groups like Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Fulani militants are blamed for most attacks, often targeting Christian farmers. Rights groups estimate between 4,000 and 8,000 Christian deaths per year.

Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, told Fox News Digital that 50,000 Christians have been killed and 20,000 Christian schools and churches destroyed in the country since 2009, calling it a “crisis of religious genocide.”

Mark Walker, Trump’s ambassador-designate for international religious freedom, called for greater U.S. pressure on the Nigerian government, calling the violence a humanitarian crisis. He also pledged to work with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to strengthen U.S. advocacy.

I WAS KIDNAPPED BY BOKO HARAM AND I SURVIVED. NO THANKS TO THE SILENCE OF THE WEST

The White House and world leaders have condemned the violence, warning it could spread across Africa. However, Nigerian officials have denied any systematic persecution, calling U.S. reports “misleading.”

Hours before Trump’s threat on Saturday, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu issued a statement on X, emphasizing that Nigeria “stands firm” as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.

“Since 2023, our administration has maintained open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders and continues to address security challenges that affect citizens of all faiths and regions,” Tinubu wrote in the statement. “The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard the freedom of religion and belief of all Nigerians. Religious freedom and tolerance have been a fundamental principle of our collective identity and always will be.

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“Nigeria opposes and does not encourage religious persecution,” he continued. “Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths. Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation in protecting communities of all faiths.”

Efrat Lachter and Sophia Compton of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.