President Donald Trump has directed the Department of War to prepare for possible action in Nigeria to target Islamic militants committing genocide against Christians.
“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 president said on Truth Social. “I am hereby instructuring 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.”
In response, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said, “Yes Sir. 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 who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a country of particular concern [CPC] but that is the least of it,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like what is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world.”
Trump made the decision after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called on him to protect Christian Nigerians and introduced a bill to do the same last month.
“I am deeply gratified to President Trump for making this determination,” Cruz said in an emailed statement to The Center Square. “I have fought for years to counter the slaughter and persecution of Christians in Nigeria, and this year introduced legislation that will lock in the designation made today.”
The CPC designation “is a critical step in holding accountable and changing the behavior of Nigerian officials who have facilitated and created an environment conducive to the outrages in Nigeria,” he added. “My legislation implements additional steps, including targeting those who implement blasphemy and sharia laws in Nigeria.”
Last month, Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025 to protect Christians and other religious minorities from persecution by Islamic militants. The bill, if signed into law, directs the federal government to impose sanctions on the Nigeria government and its officials “who facilitate Islamist jihadist violence and the imposition of blasphemy laws” against non-Muslim Nigerians.
“Nigerian Christians are being targeted and executed for their faith by Islamist terrorist groups and are being forced to submit to sharia law and blasphemy laws across Nigeria. It is long past time to impose real costs on the Nigerian officials who facilitate these activities,” Cruz said when introducing it.
