Security and Policy Analyst, Dr. Kabir Adamu, has warned that U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments threatening military action against Nigeria over alleged religious persecution violate international norms and should be treated as a serious escalation.
Speaking on ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Adamu said the development was unsurprising but deeply concerning, recalling that during Trump’s first tenure, Nigeria was also placed under the “country of particular concern” category before the decision was reversed by the Democrats.
“What is surprising, however, is this escalation to threaten to attack a sovereign state. This is completely against the rules-based system that the world has embraced.
No country should threaten the sovereignty of another over an allegation it has not even allowed the other to respond to.”
Trump has threatened to deploy U.S. military forces to Nigeria if the alleged killing of Christians in the country is not stopped.
On Friday, he designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over what he described as a “mass slaughter” of Christians, directing U.S. lawmakers to investigate.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
By Saturday, the U.S. President escalated his warning, ordering the Department of War to prepare for “possible action” and threatening to suspend all American aid to Nigeria if the attacks persisted.
“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 declared.
Dr. Adamu, however, said Trump’s remarks appeared politically motivated and linked to domestic U.S. politics rather than grounded in fact.
“One of the issues at play is domestic politics. A lot of what is going on is to align, strengthen and consolidate his grassroots support by mentioning things like protecting Christianity across the world — that resonates very well with his local support base.”
He added that it remained uncertain whether Trump would carry out his threat.
When asked about the various conspiracy theories circulating about the announcement, Adamu dismissed them, stressing that governance must be guided by intelligence, not speculation.
“Statecraft is not run on conspiracy theories; it’s run on intelligence and established platforms. At this stage, what is important is for Nigeria to focus on coordination, minimise the risk, and start de-escalating.”
He cautioned that Nigeria’s risk level should already be at an “extreme” category following Trump’s threat and urged the government to take proactive measures.“If another country is threatening to attack us, we should have elevated our risk level. What do we do to mobilise? How do we respond? Are we sitting ducks waiting for it to happen? What is critical now is to start de-risking and de-escalating the situation,” he warned.
Adamu stressed the need for a coordinated state response, noting that effective statecraft must now take the front burner to minimise potential risks.
Meanwhile, the Presidency on Saturday said that President Bola Tinubu will meet with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in the coming days to discuss the allegations of a “Christian genocide” and other diplomatic concerns.