Overview
- Trump on Oct. 31 designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern over alleged widescale killings of Christians, restoring a label removed in 2023.
- The designation enables potential U.S. penalties, including limits on non‑humanitarian aid, but it does not itself impose sanctions.
- On Nov. 1, Trump warned all U.S. aid would stop and said the U.S. could go in “guns‑a‑blazing,” directing the Pentagon to prepare and tasking Reps. Riley Moore and Tom Cole with a review.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted that the Department of War is “preparing for action,” stating that the killings must end or the U.S. will target the Islamist perpetrators.
- Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected claims of religious intolerance and said the country protects all faiths, as reporting notes mixed motives, jihadist and militia actors, and contested casualty figures.