In a significant escalation of rhetoric, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has directed the Pentagon to draft plans for potential military intervention in Nigeria. This decision comes amid Trump’s rising accusations that the Nigerian government is not adequately addressing the persecution of Christians within the country.

President Trump further cautioned that the United States could immediately halt all aid and assistance to Nigeria. In a pointed social media message, he remarked, “If the Nigerian Government continues to permit the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria at once. We may very well consider military action to eradicate the Islamic Terrorists responsible for these heinous acts,” Trump stated. “I have instructed our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we proceed, it will be fast, fierce, and decisive, just like the terrorists who attack our beloved Christians!”

This declaration followed remarks from Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who responded to Trump’s previous decision to classify the nation as “a country of particular concern.” This designation was made in light of claims that Nigeria is not effectively curbing the persecution of Christians.

President Tinubu, in a social media post on Saturday, firmly rejected this characterization of Nigeria, arguing that it misrepresents the country’s true nature. “Religious freedom and tolerance are fundamental to our national identity and will always be upheld,” Tinubu asserted. “Nigeria stands against religious persecution and does not promote it. Our constitution guarantees protection for citizens of all faiths.”

In a social media statement on Saturday, Tinubu said that the characterization of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country does not reflect the national reality.

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so,” Tinubu said. “Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”

Trump on Friday said “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria” and “radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”

Trump’s comment came weeks after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz urged Congress to designate Africa’s most populous country as a violator of religious freedom with claims of “Christian mass murder.”

Nigeria’s population of 220 million is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims. The country has long faced insecurity from various fronts including the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law and has also targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough.

Attacks in Nigeria have varying motives. There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and ethnic clashes.

While Christians are among those targeted, analysts say the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigeria’s Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur.

Kimiebi Ebienfa, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated the commitment of Nigeria to protect citizens of all religions.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion,” Ebienfa said in a statement on Saturday. “Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”

Nigeria was placed on the country of particular concern list by the U.S. for the first time in 2020 over what the State Department called “systematic violations of religious freedom.” The designation, which did not single out attacks on Christians, was lifted in 2023 in what observers saw as a way to improve ties between the countries ahead of then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit.

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Madhani reported from West Palm Beach, Fla.