Dare Babalola
United States President Donald Trump on Saturday said he has ordered the Department of War to prepare for possible military operations in Nigeria over the killing of Christians in the West African nation.
One day after warning that Christianity was “facing an existential threat in Nigeria, Trump, on Truth social reiterated that the Nigerian government must act immediately to stop what he called the ongoing genocide against Christians.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” said Mr Trump. “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!”
Speaking further, Trump also threatened to cut all aid to Nigeria while calling on his Nigerian counterpart, President Bola Tinubu, to undertake proactive measures to immediately tackle the situation or risk the United States conducting military action to “wipe out Islamic terrorists.”
“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and 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 American leader added.
Nigeria is embroiled in numerous conflicts that experts say have killed both Christians and Muslims without distinction.
Trump on Friday posted that “thousands of Christians are being killed (and) Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
Claims of Christian persecution have also been pushed by some in Nigeria, where ethnic, religious and regional divisions have flared with deadly consequences in the past and still shape the country’s modern politics.
