US President Donald Trump has claimed American forces are “annihilating terrorists who are killing Christians” in Nigeria, insisting militants have killed “thousands and thousands of Christians.”
Speaking during the Board of Peace signing ceremony on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mr Trump said the United States has struck hard against extremist groups in Nigeria.
“Many good things are happening,” he said. “In Nigeria, we are annihilating terrorists who are killing Christians. We’ve hit them very hard.”
The remarks come amid heightened diplomatic pressure from Washington, which has urged Nigeria to do more to protect Christians following mass kidnappings across several churches in Kaduna state. A senior State Department official, Allison Hooker, said the Nigerian government must “do more to protect Christians and their right to practise their faith freely and safely,” referring to the abduction of more than 170 people from churches.
Hooker’s comments were delivered at a high-level security meeting in Abuja, where she led the US delegation. However, her speech did not mention Muslim victims of violence, a point that critics say highlights a one-sided view of Nigeria’s security crisis.
Nigeria’s federal government has repeatedly rejected the framing that the violence is primarily religious. Authorities insist terrorism and violent extremism affect all communities, regardless of faith, with victims including Muslims, Christians and others.
Senior security officials — including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, and Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun — have described the crisis as a complex mix of terrorism, banditry and organised criminal violence rather than a religious conflict.
US Pressure, Nigerian Reality
Nigeria is battling multiple armed groups across the country. Bandit gangs in the northwest carry out kidnappings and village raids for ransom, while a jihadist insurgency in the northeast has raged for more than a decade. The central region has also seen clashes between farmers and herders, driven largely by competition over land and resources rather than religion.
The attack in Kaduna state was the latest mass abduction blamed on armed gangs known as “bandits.” The incident gained further controversy after police initially denied it happened.
At the same time, the US has stepped up pressure on Abuja. President Trump has previously threatened unilateral military intervention, and the US has continued security cooperation with Nigeria following joint strikes on militants late last year.
Disputed Victim Count in School Kidnapping
Hooker also stirred controversy when she said all victims of the St. Mary’s Catholic school kidnapping in Niger state were Christian. The school included Muslim students, some of whom were abducted.
“We have Muslims amongst them,” Daniel Atori, a spokesman for the Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger state, told AFP.
The kidnapping at St. Mary’s saw more than 250 students abducted, and remains one of the most high-profile attacks in Nigeria’s recent security crisis.
Trump Links Nigeria to Gaza in Board of Peace Vision
At the Davos ceremony, Trump also spoke about developments in the Middle East, particularly Gaza. He insisted the territory must be demilitarised and rebuilt, warning militant groups to disarm.
“Gaza has to be demilitarised and rebuilt nicely,” he said. “If Hamas doesn’t do what they promised, they must lay down arms, or it’ll end them. They grew up with rifles.”
Trump tied both the Middle East and Nigeria’s security challenges to the work of the newly unveiled Board of Peace, which he said is attracting growing international interest.
“Everybody wants to be on the Board of Peace,” he said. “These are just the countries here now; loads more will join.”
