U.S. military mulls airstrikes on Nigeria following Trump’s order 

The United States military has reportedly prepared possible airstrike plans for Nigeria after President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to “get ready to intervene” to protect Christians from terrorist attacks, The New York Times has reported.

According to the report published on Wednesday, the U.S. Africa Command has submitted several options to the Department of War, following a directive from Secretary Pete Hegseth to act on Trump’s orders.

The New York Times reported that the plans are divided into three categories — “heavy,” “medium,” and “light” — depending on the level of military involvement.

Under the “heavy option,” the U.S. would deploy an aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf of Guinea, supported by fighter jets or long-range bombers targeting militant strongholds in northern Nigeria.

The “medium option” involves using MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator drones for targeted strikes on insurgent camps and vehicles, guided by U.S. intelligence for accuracy.

The “light option” focuses on sharing intelligence, providing logistics, and supporting joint missions with Nigerian forces against Boko Haram and other Islamist groups blamed for killings, kidnappings, and church attacks.

However, senior Pentagon officials reportedly admitted that limited airstrikes or drone operations would not solve Nigeria’s insurgency unless the U.S. launches a larger military campaign like those in Iraq or Afghanistan, something Washington is not currently considering.

Earlier, President Trump had warned that the U.S. could deploy its military to Nigeria if what he called “genocide against Christians” was not stopped. The Nigerian government denied the claim, calling it false.

Meanwhile, China has backed Nigeria, opposing any form of foreign interference. “As Nigeria’s strategic partner, China firmly opposes any country using religion or human rights as an excuse to interfere in another nation’s internal affairs,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing.

On Wednesday, Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, rejected the U.S. decision to place Nigeria on a list of countries violating religious freedom, describing it as “based on inaccurate data.”

He stressed that Nigeria is battling terrorism, not religious persecution, and that both Christians and Muslims are victims of extremist violence.
“Since 2023, President Tinubu’s administration has neutralised over 13,500 militants and rescued more than 11,000 hostages. Nigeria remains open to U.S. cooperation on counterterrorism while respecting national sovereignty,” Idris said.

Later that evening, Trump doubled down on his warning, saying:

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening. We are ready to protect our great Christian population around the world.”

The issue has sparked tension between Washington and Abuja and reignited debate in the U.S. about military involvement in foreign religious conflicts.