November 01, (THEWILL) — Former United States President Donald Trump has declared that Christianity is facing an “existential threat” in Nigeria, alleging widespread killings of Christians by what he called “radical Islamists,” and pledging that America will intervene to stop the “mass slaughter.”
In a post shared on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump said Nigeria would be designated as a “country of particular concern,” accusing the authorities of failing to protect Christians amid rising religious violence.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria… something must be done!” Trump wrote.
The former U.S. leader claimed that thousands of Christians have been killed in Nigeria in recent years, insisting that the situation has reached emergency levels that demand firm action from Washington.
Trump disclosed that he had instructed U.S. lawmakers Riley Moore and Tom Cole, along with the House Appropriations Committee, to investigate the crisis and provide a report with actionable recommendations.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries,” he added, vowing that America stands “ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world.”
Trump’s comments come amid renewed concerns in Washington over growing militant attacks in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern regions, where hundreds have been killed in recent months in coordinated assaults blamed on Boko Haram, ISWAP, and armed herder militias.
Earlier, THEWILL reported a deadly attack on Farin Dutse, a Christian community in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, by gunmen who killed Rev. Kambasaya of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN) and abducted over 20 residents, including women and children.
In June, more than 20 people were reported killed in Plateau State following an assault on the hometown of a Catholic bishop, days after the cleric testified before the U.S. Congress on the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
Global advocacy group Open Doors recently estimated that nearly 70 percent of all Christians killed worldwide for their faith last year were Nigerians, warning that the country remains the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian.
Human rights organisations also estimate that thousands of Christians are killed annually in Nigeria, with many communities displaced in Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Niger, and parts of Taraba states.
Trump’s ambassador-designate for International Religious Freedom, Mark Walker, called for increased U.S. pressure on Nigeria to end religious violence, saying between 4,000 and 8,000 Christians are killed each year.
“This isn’t about politics; it’s about human life. We’re talking about boys and girls, about women being kidnapped and horrific things happening. All of us should raise our voices,” Walker said.
He added that he would work closely with Senator Marco Rubio and the U.S. State Department to intensify diplomatic efforts once confirmed, stressing that Washington “must be much more proactive.”
However, Nigerian authorities have strongly rejected the claims. Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, described the allegations of systematic Christian persecution as “misleading,” insisting that victims of insecurity in Nigeria cut across all faiths and ethnic groups.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz also weighed in, claiming that more than 50,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed since 2009 and over 20,000 churches and Christian schools destroyed, describing the situation as “a crisis of religious genocide.”
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