WASHINGTON, USA — A senior U.S. official said on Saturday, November 1, 2025, that his department was preparing for possible military action against armed groups in Nigeria if the Nigerian government did not halt attacks on Christians, sharpening a transatlantic dispute after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged religious persecution.
Pete Hegseth, the U.S. secretary of war, echoed Trump’s stern warning in a social media post, saying the United States Department of War was “preparing for action” and urging Abuja to protect Christian communities.
“Either the Nigerian government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Hegseth wrote on X.
Yes sir.
The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. 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. pic.twitter.com/C0v9RHGoS1
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) November 1, 2025
Hegseth’s comments came a day after Trump used Truth Social to say he had instructed the Department of War to prepare for “possible action” and threatened to cut all aid to Nigeria if the government failed to curtail violence he attributed to “radical Islamists.”
In his post, Trump wrote that any U.S. intervention “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 president also said he had redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” a U.S. foreign-policy designation that highlights systematic or egregious violations of religious freedom and can trigger a sequence of diplomatic and punitive measures.
The move has been urged by some U.S. lawmakers and advocacy groups who allege that communities of Christian faith in parts of Nigeria have faced concerted attacks.
The Nigerian presidency rejected the designation and the escalation in rhetoric.
President Bola Tinubu said on Saturday, November 1, 2025, that Nigeria “remains a democracy anchored on constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and belief,” and described the characterisation of the country as religiously intolerant as inaccurate and unhelpful.
Tinubu emphasised that violent groups in Nigeria target both Christians and Muslims and said his government was committed to security reforms to protect all communities.
The exchange of threats and denials is likely to complicate diplomatic ties between the two countries.
U.S. pronouncements promising lethal force on foreign soil raise immediate questions about legal authority, international law and consultation with partners; officials in Washington have not published a formal legal rationale for the threatened action, nor have they outlined the precise conditions that would trigger military operations.
Nigeria and the United States have long cooperated on security matters, including training, intelligence sharing and logistical support for counter-insurgency efforts.
Abrupt threats or the prospect of punitive measures risk undermining those channels at a moment when both countries face complex security challenges.
Neither the U.S. Department of War nor the White House had provided additional operational details by Saturday, November 1, 2025, and Nigeria’s foreign ministry had not yet followed with a formal diplomatic note reacting to Hegseth’s statement.
The coming days are likely to see urgent exchanges between senior officials in Abuja and Washington as both governments manage domestic pressure and international scrutiny over the unfolding diplomatic crisis.
