By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has said his department is preparing for possible military intervention if the Nigerian government fails to halt what he described as “the killing of innocent Christians” in the country, reports The Cable.
Hegseth made the comment on Saturday in reaction to a Truth Social post by U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the Nigerian authorities of turning a blind eye to repeated attacks on Christian communities.
Trump wrote: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians. Warning: the Nigerian Government better move fast!”
In a swift response, Hegseth quoted Trump’s post on X, writing: “Yes sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. 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 Cable reports that Hegseth’s remarks came just a day after Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over allegations of Christian genocide.
Trump had accused radical Islamist groups of carrying out a “mass slaughter” of Christians across the country.
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rejected Trump’s designation, maintaining that Nigeria remains a democratic nation founded on constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and belief.