The Complex Dynamics of Nigeria’s Security and International Relations
In many instances, when the so-called developed world or its leaders focus on countries in the Global South, especially in Africa, it is often for reasons that benefit the Global North. These reasons are typically associated with negative aspects such as war, poverty, disease, conflicts, exploitation, corruption, and similar issues. However, when American President Donald Trump, a prominent figure of the Global West, turned his attention to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous Black nation, he did not disappoint.
In 2018, during his first presidency, Trump referred to Haiti and African countries as “shithole countries.” This time, between 31st October and 1st November 2025, Trump escalated his rhetoric further. In a tweet on 31 October via his Truth Social platform, he claimed that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC)…”
In his second tweet on 1 November, Trump warned that “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.”
The CPC label is reserved for nations that engage in severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. While the designation is largely symbolic, U.S. law mandates that governments must take targeted responses to violations of religious freedom. Trump initially placed Nigeria on the CPC list in 2020, but President Joe Biden removed the country from the list in 2021.
Nigerian government officials have strongly rejected the claim of a “targeted Christian genocide” in the country. In his first public response to Trump’s tweets, President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to eradicating terrorism and deepening Nigeria’s diplomatic relations. He stated, “We are engaging the world diplomatically, and we assure all… that we will defeat terrorism…” before the Federal Executive Council’s closed-door meeting.
It remains unclear whether the Nigerian leader would meet with his American counterpart to address the issue as previously announced by his aides.
Meanwhile, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, through its Head, Ambassador Gautier Mignot, have expressed support and solidarity with Nigeria. They noted that terrorist attacks in the country were not limited to any religion or ethnic group. Mignot emphasized that “our position is one of solidarity with Nigeria. Solidarity with the victims of violence, with the authorities working to protect citizens, and with the Nigerian people who overwhelmingly desire peaceful coexistence beyond ethnic and religious divides.”
The African Union has urged external partners, including the United States, to engage Nigeria through diplomatic dialogue, intelligence-sharing, and capacity-building partnerships to tackle terrorism. China and Russia have also rejected the U.S. threat of military action against Nigeria, with Russia calling on all parties involved to strictly comply with international legal norms.
For context, Trump’s tweets made no mention of ‘genocide,’ and he did not provide any timeline for the killings. However, some Nigerian clerics and right-wing U.S. Republicans, particularly Texas Senator Ted Cruz, have made more elaborate claims. Cruz alleged that “Officials in Nigeria are ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists. It’s time to hold those responsible accountable.”
Citing figures from Open Doors and other reports, US Congressman Riley Moore claimed that more than 7,000 Christians had been killed in 2025 alone and that “at least 19,100 Churches have been attacked or destroyed since 2009.” While acknowledging that “Nigerians of all faiths faced terrorism,” he said, “Christians are far and away the most targeted for persecution and violence.”
In March this year, Evangelist Ezekiel Dachomo, a regional leader of the Church of Christ in Nations, posted a video of a mass burial of victims of an attack in Heipang community near Jos, Nigeria’s Middle-Belt region. The clip went viral on social media, and in an interview published by a Nigerian newspaper on 25 March 2025, the Evangelist said, “I made the video for record-keeping so that future generations will be able to see how we were terrorised and persecuted.”
This was not the first time that “genocide” or “Christian persecution” claims would be made against Nigeria. In its report early this year, a pro-Christian organization, Open Doors, listed Nigeria as among the “most persecuting countries.” The report claimed that “More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria than anywhere else in the world.”
On 12 March 2025, the Most Reverend Wilfred Anagbe, the Catholic Bishop of Markudi, in Nigeria’s Central Benue State, took the claim of anti-Christian attacks to the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Africa Subcommittee. The cleric alleged that “A long-term, Islamic agenda to homogenize the population has been implemented over several presidencies…”
Beyond politicking, denial, deflection, trading of figures, finger-pointing and a fixation on the categorisation of the killings, the undeniable reality is that Nigeria, like most countries today, has a serious and complex problem of insecurity/terrorism. The problem predates the Tinubu administration, but his government has a duty to address it frontally and effectively, unilaterally or in collaboration/partnership with other countries/stakeholders.
America is one of Nigeria’s major partners in the fight against terrorism, and this partnership should be strengthened, not weakened. In November 2020, U.S. special forces (SEALS), rescued an American citizen, Philip Walton, kidnapped in Nigeria.
Trump’s brash approach and uncomplementary language could be discomforting and irritating. There might be ulterior motives or a hidden agenda behind his unsolicited interventions or ‘meddling.’ But his consequential tweets should be seen more as a wake-up call on Nigerian authorities to rise to their responsibilities.
The endless killing of Nigerians by Nigerians or foreign insurgents, for whatever reason is unacceptable and must stop. Nigerians should set aside political, ethnic and religious differences and unite to work collectively for the overall progress and development of their country.
The primary responsibility of any government is the security of life and property, the guarantee of welfare and the protection of citizens’ rights. By constitution, Nigeria is a secular nation, and every citizen should be free to practice their faith without let or hindrance. Chapter IV, Section 42 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), prohibits discrimination based on ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion, or political opinion. The same constitution also provides for unfettered justice and government protection of citizens against persecution, and the prompt prosecution of crimes and criminals.
