USA

Trump Designates Nigeria as Country of Particular Concern, Threatens Military Action Over Christian Killings

Michael Ringer

02 Nov 2025 — 2 min read

Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump on Friday, November 1, 2025, designated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" for religious freedom violations, citing what he described as an existential threat to Christianity in the West African nation.

In a social media post, Trump stated, "Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria" and declared that "radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter."

On Saturday, November 2, the president escalated his warnings, announcing that he had ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action. "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," Trump posted.

In the first seven months of 2025 alone, more than 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria, an average of 35 deaths per day. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has stated that since 2009, Islamist jihadists have massacred over 50,000 Christians in Nigeria and destroyed more than 20,000 Christian churches, schools, and other institutions.

The violence has been attributed to extremist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province), and Fulani militants, who have carried out devastating attacks on Christian communities.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu responded on Saturday, pushing back against the designation. "Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so," Tinubu said in a statement. "Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths."

Kimiebi Ebienfa, a spokesperson for Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated the commitment to protect all citizens. "The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion," Ebienfa stated.

Nigeria's population of 220 million is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims. The country has long faced security challenges from multiple fronts, including the Boko Haram extremist group.

U.S. Congressman Riley Moore has described Nigeria as "the deadliest place in the world to be a Christian," noting that 82% of persecuted Christians killed between October 2022 and September 2023 died in Nigeria.

International Christian Concern President Shawn Wright welcomed the CPC designation, calling it "a significant step toward mobilizing the global community to confront the atrocities that have devastated so many families and communities in Nigeria."