Trump refuses to rule out ‘boots on ground’ in Nigeria to protect Christians

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

U.S President Donald Trump doubled down on his plan to attack Nigeria over alleged killing of Christians on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters aboard his presidential jet, the Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said he is considering various options as part of his bid to protect Christians in Nigeria, including ‘boots on the ground’ an indication that he may deploy troops to Nigeria.

In the short audio of the interaction shared by @WhiteHouse, the US President reiterated his controversial claim that large Christians are being killed in large number in Nigeria.

He also insisted that Nigeria in a very bad country in a very bad part of the world.

When asked by a reporter that, “do you envisage U.S. boots on the ground or airstrikes?,” Trump said, “Could be. I mean, a lot of things I envisage, a lot of things. They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria. And they have other countries, very bad also. You know that, that part of the world, very bad.
They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that.”

Trump had on Friday revealed that he had designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” the U.S. over alleged killings of Christians in the country.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social.

However, the Nigerian government had faulted the claim by the US President while maintaining that the ongoing security challenges are criminal and not religious in nature.

Don’t Do It

However, on Saturday, the US President further revealed that he may send send troops to protect Christians in Nigeria if the Nigerian government failed to act.

“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,” he said.

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet.”

Meanwhile, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Laja Adeoye, has cautioned the United States against any military action in Nigeria under the guise of protecting Christians.

Adeoye, who spoke to NAN said Nigeria does not need foreign military intervention to tackle domestic terrorism, but intentional leadership that protects lives and property regardless of religion or tribe.

He cautioned that countries subjected to foreign military intervention often suffer long-term instability and humanitarian crises, stressing that such action could harm the country.

He said that inviting foreign troops could worsen the situation and inflict more hardship on ordinary Nigerians.

Instead, the PDP chieftain urged Trump to support Nigeria with military hardware instead of troops, saying the nation’s security agencies are capable of defeating terrorists, if properly equipped.