The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has confirmed that his department is preparing for military action in Nigeria following reports of continued attacks on Christians.
Hegseth made the statement on Saturday via his official X account, formerly Twitter.
He was responding to President Donald Trump’s earlier post threatening a direct US military intervention over the alleged persecution of Christians in northern Nigeria.
“Yes sir,” Hegseth replied to Trump. “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 committing these atrocities.”
His statement came shortly after Trump ordered the US Department of War to “prepare for possible action” against what he described as “mass slaughter” of Christians.
In his earlier post, Trump accused the Nigerian government of doing nothing to stop the attacks.
He also threatened to cut off all US assistance to Nigeria if the killings continued.
“The US may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing, to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists,” Trump wrote.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like those thugs attack our cherished Christians. The Nigerian government better move fast!”
The Nigerian government has not yet issued an official response to Trump’s warning or Hegseth’s comments.
On Friday, Trump had already announced Nigeria’s inclusion on the US State Department’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern,” a category reserved for nations accused of violating religious freedom.
He blamed radical Islamist groups for what he described as the “mass slaughter” of Christians across Nigeria.
However, President Bola Tinubu dismissed the accusations, describing them as “misleading and exaggerated.”
He stressed that Nigeria remains a democratic nation committed to protecting the religious freedom of all citizens.
Tinubu said, “Our country remains anchored on constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and belief. Nigeria does not promote any form of religious persecution.”
Meanwhile, global reactions continue to pour in as the situation escalates into one of the most tense diplomatic standoffs between the US and Nigeria in recent years.