Trump says there ‘could be’ US troops on ground in Nigeria, air strikes | The Express Tribune

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US military could deploy troops to Nigeria or carry out air strikes to stop what he called the killing of large numbers of Christians in the West African country.

Asked if he envisioned troops on the ground or air strikes in Nigeria, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “Could be. I mean, other things. I envisage a lot of things. They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria … They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.”

Trump commented on Sunday evening as he headed back to Washington after a weekend at his vacation home in Florida.

A newspaper with an article reporting US President Donald Trump’s message to Nigeria over the treatment of Christians hangs at a newspaper stand in Ojuelegba, Lagos, Nigeria. November 2, 2025 Photo: Reuters

Trump threatened on Saturday to take military action against Nigeria if Africa’s most populous country failed to crack down on the killing of Christians.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s spokesman Daniel Bwala, told AFP on Sunday that “Nigeria is US’s partner in the global fight against terrorism. When leaders meet there would be better outcomes.”

Read: Nigeria urges Trump meeting after military action threat

“Nigeria welcomes US support to fight terrorism as long as it respects our territorial integrity,” he said.

“We do not see the (Trump’s social media post) in the literal sense,” he said.

“We know that Donald Trump has his own style of communication,” he said, suggesting the post was a way to “force a sit-down between the two leaders so they can iron out a common front to fight their insecurity”.

Earlier, Bwala had suggested in a post on X that the two leaders could meet soon.

“As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or in fact all faiths and no faiths, the differences if they exist, would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days, either in State House or White House”.

Read more: Trump threatens US military action in Nigeria over treatment of Christians

Bwala, who was speaking on the phone from Washington, declined to disclose details of any potential meeting.

The US president’s threat of military action came a day after his administration added Nigeria back to a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations that the U.S. says have violated religious freedoms. Other nations on the list include China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan.