Newsbreak: US threatens military strike against Nigeria over alleged Christian killings

By Omolade Adegbuyi

The President of the United States, Mr Donald Trump
Trump has threatened military action against Nigeria.

The President said he may be forced to order military action against Nigeria if the country fails to bring an end to the killing of Christians in the country.

The US President said he would launch attacks in Nigeria over ‘killing of Christians’ even as Nigerian authorities deny Christians have been targeted by terrorists.

The US president said Nigeria fail to stop ‘horrible atrocities’ against Christians.

Trump said he would carry out unilateral attacks in Nigeria in response to purported anti-Christian violence.

He said he had instructed the recently renamed Department of War to “prepare for possible action”.

Trump noted in his social media tweet that the United States would immediately cut off all assistance to the African country “if the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians”.

He said the US “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 added, without specifying which groups or alleged “atrocities” he was referring to.

Trump spoke further that “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” he wrote.

Al Jazeera reports that the social media post comes a day after the US president announced that Nigeria would be added to the Department of State’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern”, which is set up to monitor religious persecution around the world.
Some lawmakers in the US have been calling for stiffer measures against Nigeria accused of watching helplessly the killing of Christians.
Speaking to Irohinoodua, the General Secretary, Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movement, (AYDM) Mr Popoola Ajayi said the Nigerian authorities are to be blamed for failing to stop the killings and their inability to explore cooperation with social forces leaving the narrative to be constructed by other people most of who seek to bring the government down.

“We have a government that lacks constructive dialogue with the people, we have corrupt leaders who cannot define the interests of their people and whose international relationship is defined by personal profit. The decision of Mr Trump is a result of weak Foreign affairs policy of the government and also its inability to address the cries of millions of people and to show enough compassion for Nigerians who are at the mercy of terrorists across the country.”

AYDM said former President Mohammadu Buhari laid the foundation for terrorist incursion adding that President Tinubu should have come out plainly with a redefination of strategy to deal with terrorism instead of relying on the old order.

He said the Government has also failed to move against known sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria. He said those promoting Sharia Law in the South west also added salt to the injury and that President Tinubu has not done enough to deal with extremists around his Government.

Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow for Africa Studies at the Washinton, DC-based Council on Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera that Trump was right in identifying a lacking response from the Nigerian government towards Boko Haram.

Obadare said that those facing persecution in Nigeria included “not just of Christians…but Muslims, non-Christians, agnostics, everybody in between”. He added that the Trump administration should work with Nigerian authorities to address the “common enemy”.

“This is precisely the moment when Nigeria needs assistance, especially military assistance,” Obadare said. “The wrong thing to do is to invade Nigeria and override the authorities or the authority of the Nigerian government. Doing that will be counterproductive.”

A few hours before Trump’s threat, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu released a statement stressing that his government “continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions”.

“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” Tinubu said on Saturday.

“Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths,” the statement continued.

“Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.”

Kimiebi Ebienfa, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressed his country’s commitment to protecting all of its citizens.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion,” Ebienfa wrote in a statement on Saturday.

“Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”