US lawmaker warns Nigeria against underestimating Trump’s resolve over killings of christians

Riley Moore, a United States lawmaker, has cautioned the Nigerian government against underestimating Donald Trump, the President of the United States’ resolve to take action over what he described as the continued killing of Christians in Nigeria.

In a post on his X account on Saturday, Moore said President Trump was “serious” about ending the violence targeting Christians and warned the Nigerian government not to “test his resolve.”

“Do not test President Trump’s resolve, he is serious about ending the ongoing slaughter of Christians in Nigeria,” Moore wrote.

He urged the Nigerian authorities to cooperate with Washington in addressing the crisis.

“I am asking the Nigerian government to do the right thing and partner with the United States to protect Christians and end the slaughter of our brothers and sisters in Christ”, he added.

Moore’s comments came after President Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, accused radical Islamist groups of carrying out widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria.

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“Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby designating Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern,’” Trump declared.

He said the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” pledging that his administration would be “ready, willing, and able to protect our great Christian population around the world.”

President Trump also urged members of Congress to investigate the situation, directing Riley Moore, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, and other key lawmakers to “report back to him” on the crisis.

Trump had earlier, on November 1, announced that he instructed the Pentagon to prepare options for possible military action against terrorist groups operating in Nigeria, claiming the move was intended to protect Christian communities from extremist attacks.

The Nigerian government swiftly dismissed the allegations, insisting that the country protects the rights of all faiths. President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed that Nigeria upholds religious freedom and “does not tolerate discrimination or persecution on the basis of faith.”