By Olawale Lamina with Additional Reports
The United States President Donald Trump has ordered the military to prepare for action in Nigeria in order ward off Islamist militant groups, accusing the government of failing to protect Christians, according to the BBC reports.
Allegations of a genocide against Nigeria’s Christians have been making rounds in some right-wing US circles.
But, an advisor to Nigeria’s president, Daniel Bwala, told the BBC that any military action against the jihadist groups should be carried out together.
Bwala stated that Nigerian government would welcome help from the United States to address the Islamist insurgents’ activities, adding that the US government should respect the fact that Nigeria is a”sovereign” country, which calls for collaboration.
The government advisor emphasized that the jihadists were not out for members of a particular religion and, stressing that the terrorists had killed people from all faiths, or none.
On his part, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has responded to the allegation of genocide in the country by insisting there is religious tolerance in the country and admitted that the security challenges were affecting people “across faiths and regions”.
President Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday that he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for “possible action”.
The American President cautioned that he might send the military into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” unless the Nigerian government intervened, and said that all aid to what he called “the now disgraced country” would be cut.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!,” Trump added.
According to the BBC, the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth replied to the post by writing: “Yes sir.
“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.”
The threat by President Trump has sent shock waves across Nigeria, with many citizens on social media and concerned groups calling on the government to speed up fight against Islamist groups and put the situation under control than for foreign military coming into the country.
The BBC has quoted Bwala, a Christian pastor, on its Newshour programme as saying that Trump had a “unique way of communicating” and that Nigeria was not taking his words literally,
“Trump is to help us fight insecurity,” he said, expressing the hope that the US President would meet the Nigerian counterpart soon to discuss the burning issue.
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