US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could carry out additional airstrikes in Nigeria if killings of Christians continue in the country.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, Trump said the recent Christmas Day airstrikes in Nigeria’s northern Sokoto State, which targeted Islamist militants, may not be a one-off operation.
“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 stated.
The US strikes targeted camps belonging to Lakurawa, a jihadist group operating near Nigeria’s border with Niger. While the US and Nigerian governments confirmed the operation, neither has released details on casualties.
Nigeria’s government has rejected claims that Christians are being selectively targeted, stressing that insecurity affects citizens of all faiths. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, said Nigeria remains committed to protecting all its people.
“Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike are affected. Nigeria will continue to work with partners, including the United States, on the basis of mutual respect, international law and Nigeria’s sovereignty,” he said.
Trump acknowledged during the interview that Muslims are also being killed in Nigeria but insisted that Christians are disproportionately affected. His comments follow claims circulating in some US political circles alleging a genocide against Nigerian Christians — claims disputed by conflict-monitoring organisations, which report that most victims of jihadist violence are Muslims.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with over 230 million people, is almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims. For more than 15 years, the country’s northeast has battled an Islamist insurgency led by groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State–affiliated factions, alongside other security threats including banditry, kidnappings, farmer-herder conflicts and separatist violence.
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar previously told the BBC that the Christmas Day airstrikes were a joint operation approved by President Bola Tinubu and had “nothing to do with religion or Christmas,” despite Trump describing the strikes as a “Christmas present.”
The Nigerian government says it will continue engaging international partners while safeguarding national sovereignty and promoting unity among its diverse population.
