President Donald Trump says he has ordered the U.S. Defence Department to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria as he accuses the West African nation of not doing enough to stem violence against its Christians.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, with almost equal numbers of Muslims and Christians, denies the allegations.

Trump posted on his "Truth Social" outlet: "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 he is instructing the "Department of War", which is the name Trump wants to give to the Department of Defense, to prepare for possible action.

"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! (Trump's caps)."

Christians are among those targeted, however, local reports indicate that most victims are Muslims living in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north, CNN reported on Nov. 1.

Both Christians and Muslims have been victims of attacks by radical Islamists in the country of more than 230 million people.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/01/politics/trump-pentagon-nigeria-action

The violence in the country is driven by varying factors: some incidents are religiously motivated and affect both groups, while others arise from disputes between farmers and herders over limited resources, as well as communal and ethnic tensions, said CNN.

In a social media post, before Trump's mention of the military, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wrote: "The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians."

He noted that Nigeria is "working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths," Nigeria's The Nation reported on Nov. 1.

"Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty," the president said in a statement.

"Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions."

According to the CIA World Factbook on Nigeria, 53 percent of its 237 million people are Muslims, while Christians make up around 46 percent.