“We Are Preparing for Action in Nigeria,” Says US War Secretary Pete Hegseth

Pete Hegseth, the United States Secretary of War, has said his department is preparing for possible military intervention in Nigeria if the government fails to stop what he described as the “killing of innocent Christians.”

Hegseth made the statement on Saturday after US President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post, accused the Nigerian government of ignoring attacks on Christians. Trump warned that Washington would halt all aid to Nigeria and could take military action against what he called “Islamic terrorists” responsible for the violence.

“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA 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,” Trump wrote. He added that he had instructed the Department of War to prepare for possible strikes, promising any US action would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”

In response, Hegseth reposted Trump’s message on X (formerly Twitter), confirming that preparations were underway. “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,” he wrote.

The development comes a day after President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” following reports of violence against Christians. He blamed radical Islamist groups for what he termed a “mass slaughter.”

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has rejected the designation, maintaining that Nigeria is a democracy founded on constitutional freedoms, including the right to religion and belief.