Nigeria hits back at Trump threat over ‘false’ claims

nd Abuja (Somalia Today) — Nigeria on Sunday hit back at a military threat from US President Donald Trump, calling the allegations of Christian persecution used to justify it “false accusations.”

A spokesman for President Bola Tinubu stated that Nigeria would welcome US assistance against insurgents. However, he insisted that the country’s “territorial integrity” must be respected.

The sharp rebuke followed Trump’s comments on Saturday, in which he stated that he had asked the US Defense Department to prepare for possible “fast” military action. Trump cited what he called the “ill-treatment of Christians” in the West African nation.

The threat escalated US-Nigeria military tensions. It came after his administration on Friday added Nigeria back to a “Countries of Particular Concern” list for alleged violations of religious freedom.

“We welcome U.S. assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity,” Daniel Bwala, an adviser to President Tinubu, told Reuters.

Bwala, who is also a presidential spokesman, dismissed Trump’s threat to Nigeria as based on “false accusations” and “outdated reports” from over a decade ago.

Bwala characterized the move as “Trump’s style of going forceful in order to force a sit-down and have a conversation.” He added that both leaders must agree upon any US military action in Nigeria.

“It is not something you can unilaterally do, especially since that country is a sovereign state,” Bwala said.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with over 200 million people, is roughly split between a predominantly Muslim north and a mostly Christian south.

For 15 years, it has battled insurgencies from groups like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), primarily in the Muslim-majority northeast. Analysts state that while Christians are attacked, the vast majority of victims of insurgent violence have been Muslims.

Christian persecution claims

Analysts and conflict monitors argue that the violence is more complex than the Nigerian Christian persecution claims suggest. Experts refuted claims of a “Christian genocide” as false and simplistic.

Ladd Serwat, a senior Africa analyst at the US crisis-monitoring group ACLED, said insurgent violence “is indiscriminate and devastates entire communities.”

While groups like Boko Haram “often present their campaigns as anti-Christian… in practice their violence is indiscriminate,” Serwat said.

He noted the violence stems from “complex and often overlapping conflict dynamics.” These include land disputes, political power, ethnicity, and banditry.

ACLED research shows that of 1,923 attacks on civilians in Nigeria this year, only 50 targeted Christians specifically because of their religion. Serwat also said recent claims that 100,000 Christians had been killed since 2009 are “not supported by available data.”

Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian humanitarian lawyer, called it “a dangerous far-right narrative… that President Trump is amplifying today.”

“All the data reveals is that there is no Christian genocide going on in Nigeria,” Bukarti told Al Jazeera. He warned that the claim is “divisive” and “only going to increase instability further.”

Bukarti added that armed groups have been targeting both Muslims and Christians. “They bomb markets, churches and mosques…They do not discriminate,” he said.

The Associated Press has also reported that victims are more often identified by their location than their faith.

Tinubu’s record on religion

President Tinubu, a Muslim from southern Nigeria who is married to a Christian pastor, has pushed back against accusations of religious intolerance.

In a move seen as balancing religious representation, Tinubu last week appointed a Christian as the country’s new defense chief.

Bwala, Tinubu’s adviser, sought to play down the row despite Trump calling Nigeria a “disgraced country.”

“I am sure by the time these two leaders meet and sit, there would be better outcomes in our joint resolve to fight terrorism,” Bwala said.

In the capital, Abuja, some residents held different views. “I feel if Donald Trump said they want to come in, they should come in, and there is nothing wrong with that,” businesswoman Juliet Sur told reporters on Sunday.

Security experts, however, noted that any US military action in Nigeria would be difficult.

They said Trump’s threat involves targeting small, scattered groups across a vast area. The task is complicated by the US military’s withdrawal from neighboring Niger last year. Niger was a key base for regional counter-terror operations.

Ebenezer Obadare, a senior fellow in African studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said that unilateral action would be harmful.

“This is precisely the moment when Nigeria needs assistance, especially military assistance,” Obadare said.

“The wrong thing to do is to invade Nigeria… Doing that will be counterproductive,” he added, urging the US to work with Nigerian authorities against their “common enemy.”

Militant groups move between neighboring countries Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. Experts said the US would likely require cooperation from the Nigerian military, the same government Trump threatened.

In his statements, Tinubu committed to working with international partners, including the US. He vowed “to deepen cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.”