The Federal Government of Nigeria has once again come under fire from US President Donald Trump for allegedly attacking Christians in the nation.
He vowed to stop giving Nigeria financial support, claiming that the country’s administration had failed to stop the ongoing atrocities.
Trump made the remarks in an audio message aired on Fox News Radio’s The Brian Kilmeade Show on Friday.
The US president strongly accused Nigerian officials of failing to stop the violence in the recording.
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“I think Nigeria is a disgrace. The whole thing is a disgrace. They are killing people by the thousands. It is a genocide, and I am really angry about it,” Trump said.
President Trump went on to say that if the alleged violence persisted unchecked, US financial assistance to Nigeria would be cut off.
He claims that until he sounded the alarm, the problem was mainly disregarded.
According to the United States President, the crisis was largely ignored until he raised the alarm.
“And we pay, you know, we give a lot of subsidy to Nigeria. We are going to end up stopping. The government has done nothing. They are very ineffective. They are killing Christians at will. You know, until I got involved in it two weeks ago, nobody even talked about it,” he added.
Recall that Trump had previously declared Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern over alleged killing of Christians, claiming that Christianity was “facing an existential threat” in Nigeria.
He also warned that if the Nigerian government failed to tackle the killings, American response would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
Trump’s threats have since heightened tension in Nigeria, prompting the government to send a delegation to the US for consultations.
Following this, US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who led the delegation, at the Pentagon on Thursday.
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According to the Pentagon, Hegseth called on Nigeria to act decisively in response to the escalating attacks on Christians.
Additionally, US Congressman Riley Moore met with the Nigerian delegation on Wednesday night in Washington, DC, and reported that the topics of conversation included protecting vulnerable areas and working together to combat terrorism. The discussions were “frank, honest, and productive,” according to him.
The Nigerian delegation included several senior government and security officials: Bianca Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun; Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Olatunbosun Oluyede; and Chief of Defence Intelligence Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Undiendeye, among others.
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