Trump’s warning to Nigeria offers hope to nation's persecuted Christians

A Nigerian pastor and other Christians have welcomed President Donald Trump’s pressure on the Abuja government to bring an end to the killing of Christians. The president recently designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, and warned he is considering stopping aid and introducing financial and other sanctions against government officials.

But the Christians Fox News Digital has talked to, while welcoming Trump's support, say they don’t want U.S. Troops to be sent into Nigeria to stop the widespread murder of their co-religionists in one of the worst-affected areas, the Middle Belt of the West African nation.

Asking to be only identified by his first name due to fear of reprisals, Pastor Fred told Fox News Digital from Plateau State, "For the last 20 years we've been trying to raise an alarm because the voices of people have been silenced. Hopefully, by doing this, it'll challenge the Nigerian government and those with influence and power to make a difference because lives are being lost."

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Members of St Leo Catholic Church hold a procession to mark Palm Sunday in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, on April 13, 2025.  (Adekunle Ajayi/Getty Images)

Despite Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posting a warning earlier this month that, "The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities," but Pastor Fred, whose church has been attacked multiple times by Islamic militants, is firmly against any outside military action.

"I find that quite uncomfortable, as a Nigerian, imagining soldiers coming in. (I’m) very uncomfortable with it, but I’m more uncomfortable with the fact that people are being slaughtered, and the government is doing very little too."

A leading bishop in Nigeria’s Plateau State, who didn’t want to give his name because of his safety, told Fox News Digital of his relief about the president’s comments, "I feel very delighted. I'm so happy. It's a very, very welcome development."

Last month President Trump posted on Truth Social, saying three of every four Christians murdered in the world in the past year, 3,100 of the 4,476 deaths worldwide, were killed in Nigeria. These are the exact numbers published by Open Doors in their World Watchlist 2025. Open Doors is a global Christian charity supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.

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Young people protest against the killings following a deadly attack by Fulani militants on Christian-majority villages in Benue state, that left 218 people dead and 6,000 displaced. The protest took place in Benue state, on June 2025. (Open Doors UK)

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom states that about 46% of Nigeria’s population is Christian, and multiple sources claim that in the bishop’s Plateau State, 90% of the population is said to be Christian. Yet wave after wave of radicalized Muslim Fulani nomadic tribesmen have mounted repeated attacks on Christians there, often decapitating children and seizing their land.

The bishop noted, "The challenge that we have is that Fulani militants are coming to kill without anybody stopping them. They kill with impunity. You call the security (Nigerian authorities). If they come, they come late — after people have been killed and after homes have been burnt."

In December 2023, the bishop said his experience was typical "They [Fulani militants] killed 17 people. We thought it was over. While we went to do the burial, they attacked more than 25 villages in Plateau State, killing more than 100 people, including children."

The Bishop is grateful for President Trump’s intervention, "the Christians here feel that this development is right. Somebody [in Washington] is checking, somebody's looking, somebody is observing what is happening in Nigeria, and we believe this is going to put pressure on the government. We want to make sure that the security forces begin to do what they ought to do."

Fox News Digital is in possession of documented cases where, while attacking Nigerian Christians, Fulani militants have shouted, "Death to all Christians." A Nigerian lawyer Fox News Digital talked with this week said conditions have been indescribably tough, saying "the comments by President Trump are cheering to me and also to many Nigerians, especially from the Middle Belt, a region where thousands have been killed, maimed, pregnant women having their bellies ripped open, their farmlands destroyed and their ancestral lands taken over by the vicious Fulani militants."

Funerals for some 27 Christians who were reportedly killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen in the village of Bindi Ta-hoss, Nigeria. (Courtesy: Christian Solidarity International (CSI))

The lawyer told Fox News Digital, "President Trump's intervention is timely, and it should be done fast, before the Nigerian government turns to Russia or China." The lawyer didn’t want his name published as he fears for his safety.

"The Nigerian government have not cared much about the plight of these people," the lawyer added. He hoped "that the U.S. will act in different ways to free the minority Christians from the hegemony of the Fulani militants."

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Nigeria’s minister of information and national orientation told Fox News Digital, "The federal government of Nigeria has taken note of recent remarks by U.S. President Donald J. Trump regarding the state of religious freedom and security in Nigeria. While we appreciate any expression of concern for the well-being of Nigerians, we wish to clarify that Nigeria remains firmly committed to protecting the rights, safety and freedom of worship of all its citizens — Christians, Muslims and people of other faiths."

The minister continued, "Nigeria is a multi-religious nation where communities of different beliefs have coexisted for centuries. The government continues to confront violent extremism in all its forms, whether motivated by ideology, criminality, or ethnicity, and works closely with regional and international partners to ensure peace and stability across our borders. Any external engagement on this issue must be grounded in facts, mutual respect and partnership, rather than perception or misinformation."