United States official Pete Hegseth said the Department of War was “preparing for action” and warned that Washington could intervene if Nigeria does not stop killings of Christians.
A senior US official said on Sunday that the United States is preparing for possible military action if Nigeria fails to protect its Christian population, a statement that follows similar comments by President Donald Trump and has drawn international attention.
United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote on X: “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,” he said.
The message echoes an earlier post by President Trump on Truth Social threatening to halt aid to Nigeria and to “prepare for possible action” if the violence continues. Trump wrote: “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.”
Foreign ministry and defence officials in Abuja have yet to issue an official response. International human-rights groups urged restraint and called for verified investigations into the reported killings.