US President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of Nigeria on Friday, calling the country “a disgrace” as he renewed accusations that the government is failing to protect Christians from extremist violence.

Speaking on a conservative radio programme, Trump repeated his threat to take military action against Islamist militants in Nigeria if the government does not “do more” to stop attacks on Christian communities.

“Nigeria is a disgrace. The whole thing is a disgrace,” Trump said. “They’re killing people by the thousands. It’s a genocide, and I’m really angry about it. And we pay, you know, we give a lot of subsidies to Nigeria. We’re going to end up stopping.”

Nigeria has a long history of ethnoreligious conflict in which both Christians and Muslims have suffered mass casualties. However, the narrative that Christians are being uniquely targeted has gained significant traction in right-wing circles in the US.

Hegseth reinforces administration’s position

Trump’s comments came a day after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, at the Pentagon. The meeting was aimed at reinforcing the Trump administration’s claim that Christians in Nigeria are facing “horrific violence.”

“Under @POTUS leadership, DOW is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists,” Hegseth said in a post on X on Friday, using the acronym “DOW” — the administration’s preferred term for the Department of Defence (“Department of War”).

A Defence Department statement said Hegseth and Ribadu discussed “tangible progress” on curbing violence against Christians and combating jihadist groups operating in West Africa.

Nigeria rejects persecution claims

President Bola Tinubu, a Muslim whose wife is a Christian pastor, has repeatedly pushed back against allegations of state-enabled religious persecution. He insists his government is committed to protecting all Nigerians regardless of faith.

“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” Tinubu said.

Nevertheless, Trump and his allies continue to promote the narrative. Earlier this week, rapper Nicki Minaj appeared at the United Nations alongside US Ambassador Mike Waltz to echo the disputed claims.

Separately, Representative Riley Moore, a Republican from West Virginia, met Ribadu in Washington on Wednesday as part of the ongoing high-level engagements between US officials and Nigeria’s security leadership. (Business Day)