Recently, the US President Donald Trump rattled the entire Nigeria, nay Africa by threatening to carry out attacks in Nigeria in response to purported anti-Christian violence.
According to reports, President Trump was said to have instructed the recently renamed Department of War to “prepare for possible action”.
In any case, in a social media post on Saturday, Trump said the United States would immediately cut off all assistance to the most populous African country “if the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians”.
He further stressed that the US “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 US was said to have left many analysts guessing as he did not specify which groups or alleged “atrocities” he was referring to in his statement.
In his statement, “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!.”
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that much as the US president carried enormous political, economic and diplomatic implications, the Nigerian government did not immediately respond to Trump’s threat.
Trump’s statement was coming a day after he announced that Nigeria – a country is made up of a Muslim-majority north and a largely Christian south – would be added to the Department of State’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern”, which is set up to monitor religious persecution around the world.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that in recent time, many law makers and indeed prominent figures in the US have claimed that violent disputes in Nigeria are part of a campaign of “Christian genocide.”
As the situation continues to simmer, many rights group have equally continued to advise Nigerian government to do more to address unrest in the already beleaguered African country as a result of consistent attacks by Islamist extremists like Boko Haram, Lukarawas and the newly formed Wulowulo.
In any case, many have also argued that claims of a “Christian genocide” are false and not founded.
A Nigerian Humanitarian lawyer and political analyst Bulama Bukarti in a recent interview with AlJazeera explained that “All the data reveals is that there is no Christian genocide going on in Nigeria,”
According to him, this is “a dangerous, far-right narrative that has been simmering for a long time that President Trump is amplifying today,” he said.
“It is divisive and it is only going to further increase instability in Nigeria,” added Bukarti, explaining that armed groups in Nigeria have been targeting both Muslims and Christians.
“They bomb markets, they bomb churches, they bomb mosques and they attack every civilian location they find – they do not discriminate between Muslims and Christians.”
However, Ebenezer Obadare disagreed with Bukarti, stressing that indeed there is ongoing “Christian genocide” in the country.
Obadare, a senior fellow for Africa Studies at the Washinton, DC-based Council on Foreign Relations, further said that the Trump administration should work with Nigerian authorities to address the “common enemy”.
In his words, “This is precisely the moment when Nigeria needs assistance, especially military assistance,” Obadare said. “The wrong thing to do is to invade Nigeria and override the authorities or the authority of the Nigerian government. Doing that will be counterproductive.”
Reactions trail the threat
However, here in the country, many prominent Nigerians have continued to react the threat by the US president.
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has reacted to the threat, reminding the two countries that they have enjoyed much mutual relationship for a long time.
In a post on X, Obi advised Trump to seek diplomatic options.
In his words, “The recent pronouncement by the US government declaring Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC) and indicating possible military action should give every well-meaning Nigerian serious concern.
“There is no doubt that Nigeria is experiencing an unprecedented level of insecurity with attendant carnage and the most shocking loss of lives and property. According to Amnesty International, over 10,000 people have been killed in Nigeria since May 2023 and as I have repeatedly lamented, the unwarranted and unprovoked killing of Nigerians is most condemnable, and all efforts must be made to bring it to a stop. It is equally important to state that the terrible situation is significantly avoidable with competent leadership and governance.
“While the insecurity did not start with the present government, what is most unfortunate is the lack and absence of competence, commitment, prudent use of resources, patriotism and passion on the part of APC-led government/leaders to effectively govern, galvanise and lead Nigeria, where no one is unwarrantedly oppressed and killed, a nation where peace, truth and justice reign!
“As democracies, Nigeria and the US have long been strategic partners committed to regional peace and security. That relationship should not falter. The present situation calls for constructive diplomatic and any other plausible engagement by both nations aimed at addressing the prevailing and disturbing security concerns. Both countries must work in concert and expeditiously towards that purpose.”
In his own reaction, the former presidential candidate of AAC party, Mr. Omoyele Sowore said that military interventions in other countries of the world have never yielded any positive result. Rather it has resulted to chaos and humanitarian catastrophe.
“No One Should Celebrate Such Rhetoric. The latest threat by U.S. President Donald Trump to launch military action in Nigeria, allegedly to protect Christians, may sound appealing to some. Still, history has shown this to be perilous,” Sowore wrote.
“Whether you are Christian, Muslim, animist, or non-religious, no one should celebrate such rhetoric.”
Nevertheless, The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has reacted to the threat by saying that the security challenges facing Nigeria are not rooted in ethnicity or religion, rather, it is a national crisis that threatens the collective survival of all citizens.
In a press release by the National Publicity Secretary of the party on Monday, Bolaji Abdullahi, said “it is sad to note that it is in this most sacred mandate of government that this administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has failed most.
“Available reports indicate that nearly 15,000 lives have been lost to sundry violent activities since this administration assumed office in 2023. These deaths have occurred across regions and religions, underlining a national crisis that cuts across all divides,” the statement further read.
The party stressed that the violence in Nigeria cannot be reduced to religious persecution.
“The crisis that we face is therefore not about any ethnic or religious group being targeted for killing; it is an existential crisis that imperils all Nigerians. It is not about which region or religion has lost more lives; it is about every individual’s right to life,” Abdullahi said.
Praising Donald Trump for his concern, ADC urged the United States and other world powers to avoid actions that could destabilize the country further.
“Mobilizing armed troops, or even a mere threat of doing so, would do more harm than good and ultimately prove counterproductive to our democratic aspiration and to the long-term unity and stability of our country,” the statement said.
The party is of the opinion that a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s national security architecture, the appointment of ambassadors to key countries, and a reset of the nation’s foreign policy will ameliorate the situation.
“Time is running out,” the ADC warned. “Nigeria is not beyond saving, but we must act now with courage, clarity, and commitment to protect the lives and dignity of every Nigerian.”
