Friday January 9, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng
By Idorenyin UMOREN
With inputs from agency reports
The President of the United States, US, Donald Trump has warned that the United States may launch further military strikes in Nigeria if killings of Christians persist, even as Nigerian authorities continue to deny that Christians are being systematically targeted.
President Trump made the remarks in an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, January 8, while responding to questions about a U.S. military strike carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day.
Following that operation, the U.S. military said it had conducted a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of the Nigerian government. Nigerian officials described the action as a joint operation against “terrorists” and emphasized that it had “nothing to do with a particular religion.”
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike … But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike,” Trump was quoted as saying, according to CNBC.
Asked about comments from his own Africa adviser, who had stated that Islamic State and Boko Haram militants were killing more Muslims than Christians, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims of violence but maintained that Christians were most affected.
“I think that Muslims are also being killed in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.
Trump has in recent months intensified his public criticism of Nigeria’s handling of insecurity. In late October, he warned that Christianity faced what he described as an “existential threat” in the country and threatened U.S. military intervention over what he said was the government’s failure to protect Christian communities.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with more than 230 million people, is almost evenly split between Christians, who predominantly live in the south, and Muslims, who are largely concentrated in the north.
While Nigeria continues to grapple with insurgency, banditry and kidnappings, particularly in northern regions, the government has repeatedly rejected claims that Christians are being persecuted because of their faith.
Responding to Trump’s earlier comments, Nigerian officials said they were open to cooperating with Washington in the fight against militant groups but objected to suggestions that violence in the country was directed at Christians alone.
Authorities have consistently maintained that extremist groups have killed both Muslims and Christians, insisting that the crisis is driven by terrorism and criminal activity rather than religious persecution.
