The United States President, Donald Trump, has threatened to deploy military forces in Nigeria if the alleged genocide against Christians is not stopped in the country.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, directed the Department of War to prepare for “possible action” if the killings continued.
The US President also threatened to halt all aid and assistance to Nigeria if President Bola Tinubu’s administration failed to end the alleged persecution and killing of 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, and 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.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians,” he said.
This is coming a day after Trump redesignated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ in response to allegations of a Christian genocide in the country.
He blamed radical Islamists for the “mass slaughter” of Christians in Nigeria.
Reacting to the development, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged religious persecution, saying Nigeria remains a democracy anchored on constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and belief.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the Federal Government was already in talks with the US over the matter.
“We will continue to engage the United States Government through our missions in Washington DC, Atlanta, and New York on this matter. Discussions will also continue with the American Embassy in Abuja,” he said.
It was also reported that some lawmakers had been selected to travel to Washington to meet US congressmen before Trump’s announcement.
“The President’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern does not make it law. It will have to go through US lawmakers. A delegation, of which I am a member, was already scheduled to visit US congressmen before this declaration, and that visit will now be expedited,” a member of House of Representatives told ThePUNCH.
What is fuelling claims of Christian genocide in Nigeria? Let’s know your views in the comment section
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