By Oluwabukunmi
The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, on Sunday warned Washington is prepared to take military action if the Nigerian government fails to protect Christians, echoing a similar threat issued by U.S. President Donald Trump that has drawn international attention.
Posting on X, Hegseth said: “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.”
The message follows a post by President Trump on his Truth Social platform in which he warned the United States would “prepare for possible action” and threatened to suspend aid to Nigeria should the alleged violence continue. Trump wrote that the U.S. might “go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities” and instructed the Department of War to “prepare for possible action.”
The twin statements have provoked alarm among international observers, with critics warning that direct military intervention or the suspension of aid could further complicate an already tense security and diplomatic situation.
(Reporting compiled from social media posts by Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump.)
