United States President, Donald Trump, has renewed threats of military action against Nigeria, saying there would be “hell to pay” if Nigerian authorities do not halt what he described as the targeted killing of Christians.

In a short video delivered behind a lectern bearing the presidential seal, released on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, Trump reiterated that he had “redesignated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’” and warned that the U.S. could cut off all assistance to Nigeria.  

"Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening there, and in numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian Population around the World!" – President Trump pic.twitter.com/1dSLMr7ApQ

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 5, 2025

Trump went on to threaten possible use of U.S. military force, saying he had “instructed the Department of War to prepare for possible actions.” He added that any intervention would be fierce: “If we attack, it is going to be vicious and sweet just as the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.” 

The U.S. president, who frames the killings as an “existential threat” to Christianity in Nigeria, asked lawmakers — Tom Cole and Riley Moore — to immediately look into the matter in Nigeria and report back to him.

President Bola Tinubu and other Nigerian officials have repeatedly rejected accusations that the government permits or condones the targeting of Christians. 

Yet, Trump’s threat represents a significant diplomatic and security challenge for the Nigerian government. The U.S. president is known for his erratic and unconventional approach, making what he does next unpredictable. 

In June, he ordered strikes on Iran’s principal nuclear sites — actions that came as U.S. envoys were engaged in talks aimed at a possible nuclear agreement with the Middle Eastern country. 

The Trump administration has also come under fire for a recent campaign of strikes on small vessels in international waters — operations the United Nations human rights office and other international bodies have called “unacceptable” and which critics say risk unlawful or extrajudicial killings. Dozens have died in those strikes, which U.S. officials describe as efforts to disrupt narco-trafficking but which opponents say lack clear legal authority and full transparency. 

Additionally, U.S. military movements and diplomatic signals in the Caribbean and off Venezuela’s coast have prompted concerns that Trump is considering options — including strikes on selected military targets inside Venezuela — that opponents fear could be steps toward coercive regime change. Trump has denied that the U.S. is planning a full-scale invasion, but the troop and naval deployments, coupled with the maritime strikes, have fuelled those fears.

In the meantime, the Nigerian government has said Nigeria is willing to work with the U.S. and other international allies to wipe out terrorists and criminal elements in the country. Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, maintained the government’s position that terrorism in the country does not target any religious or ethnic group.

Nigeria has, however, received support from China and the European Union (EU), which urged respect for the country’s sovereignty and opposed any military action by the U.S.