Nigerian Christians, including a local pastor, have expressed appreciation for former President Donald Trump’s efforts to urge the Nigerian government to halt the ongoing violence against Christians. Trump’s recent decision to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern comes with a stern warning of potential aid withdrawal and the imposition of financial sanctions on Nigerian officials.
While many Christians welcome Trump’s intervention, they are not in favor of deploying U.S. troops to Nigeria. The Middle Belt region, severely affected by these atrocities, remains a hotspot for violence against Christians, but local leaders are wary of foreign military involvement.
Pastor Fred, speaking from Plateau State under a pseudonym due to safety concerns, shared his thoughts with Fox News Digital. “For two decades, we’ve been trying to raise awareness because our voices are being silenced. We hope this action will compel the Nigerian government and influential figures to create change, as lives are continually being lost,” he said.
In a related scene, members of St Leo Catholic Church participated in a Palm Sunday procession in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, on April 13, 2025. (Photo by Adekunle Ajayi/Getty Images)
Despite a recent warning from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, stating, “The Department of War is prepared to act. The Nigerian government must protect Christians, or we will target the Islamic terrorists responsible for these atrocities,” Pastor Fred stands against military intervention. His church has suffered multiple attacks by Islamic militants, yet he believes outside military involvement is not the answer.
“As a Nigerian, the thought of foreign soldiers coming in makes me uncomfortable,” Pastor Fred remarked. “However, what is more distressing is the ongoing slaughter of our people, with the government doing little to intervene.”
A leading bishop in Nigeria’s Plateau State, who didn’t want to give his name because of his safety, told Fox News Digital of his relief about the president’s comments, “I feel very delighted. I’m so happy. It’s a very, very welcome development.”
Last month President Trump posted on Truth Social, saying three of every four Christians murdered in the world in the past year, 3,100 of the 4,476 deaths worldwide, were killed in Nigeria. These are the exact numbers published by Open Doors in their World Watchlist 2025. Open Doors is a global Christian charity supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.
Young people protest against the killings following a deadly attack by Fulani militants on Christian-majority villages in Benue state, that left 218 people dead and 6,000 displaced. The protest took place in Benue state, on June 2025. (Open Doors UK)
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom states that about 46% of Nigeria’s population is Christian, and multiple sources claim that in the bishop’s Plateau State, 90% of the population is said to be Christian. Yet wave after wave of radicalized Muslim Fulani nomadic tribesmen have mounted repeated attacks on Christians there, often decapitating children and seizing their land.
The bishop noted, “The challenge that we have is that Fulani militants are coming to kill without anybody stopping them. They kill with impunity. You call the security (Nigerian authorities). If they come, they come late — after people have been killed and after homes have been burnt.”
In December 2023, the bishop said his experience was typical “They [Fulani militants] killed 17 people. We thought it was over. While we went to do the burial, they attacked more than 25 villages in Plateau State, killing more than 100 people, including children.”
The Bishop is grateful for President Trump’s intervention, “the Christians here feel that this development is right. Somebody [in Washington] is checking, somebody’s looking, somebody is observing what is happening in Nigeria, and we believe this is going to put pressure on the government. We want to make sure that the security forces begin to do what they ought to do.”
Fox News Digital is in possession of documented cases where, while attacking Nigerian Christians, Fulani militants have shouted, “Death to all Christians.” A Nigerian lawyer Fox News Digital talked with this week said conditions have been indescribably tough, saying “the comments by President Trump are cheering to me and also to many Nigerians, especially from the Middle Belt, a region where thousands have been killed, maimed, pregnant women having their bellies ripped open, their farmlands destroyed and their ancestral lands taken over by the vicious Fulani militants.”
Funerals for some 27 Christians who were reportedly killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen in the village of Bindi Ta-hoss, Nigeria. (Courtesy: Christian Solidarity International (CSI))
The lawyer told Fox News Digital, “President Trump’s intervention is timely, and it should be done fast, before the Nigerian government turns to Russia or China.” The lawyer didn’t want his name published as he fears for his safety.
“The Nigerian government have not cared much about the plight of these people,” the lawyer added. He hoped “that the U.S. will act in different ways to free the minority Christians from the hegemony of the Fulani militants.”
Nigeria’s minister of information and national orientation told Fox News Digital, “The federal government of Nigeria has taken note of recent remarks by U.S. President Donald J. Trump regarding the state of religious freedom and security in Nigeria. While we appreciate any expression of concern for the well-being of Nigerians, we wish to clarify that Nigeria remains firmly committed to protecting the rights, safety and freedom of worship of all its citizens — Christians, Muslims and people of other faiths.”
The minister continued, “Nigeria is a multi-religious nation where communities of different beliefs have coexisted for centuries. The government continues to confront violent extremism in all its forms, whether motivated by ideology, criminality, or ethnicity, and works closely with regional and international partners to ensure peace and stability across our borders. Any external engagement on this issue must be grounded in facts, mutual respect and partnership, rather than perception or misinformation.”
