Overview
- Speaking on Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he is considering multiple options for potential action against Nigeria after warning of an immediate halt to U.S. assistance.
- Trump previously ordered the Pentagon—styled by him as the Department of War—to prepare for a possible operation, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly affirmed the directive.
- The United States placed Nigeria on its Country of Particular Concern list for religious freedom, with Trump asserting an existential threat to Christianity as some cited figures remain disputed.
- President Bola Tinubu rejected the characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant, and a presidential adviser suggested a meeting with Trump in the coming days, though no meeting has been set.
- Analysts and ACLED data describe Nigeria’s violence as multifaceted—spanning jihadist attacks, banditry, and farmer–herder conflicts—with significant civilian victims among both Christians and Muslims.