Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, this week, met with the United States Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, over the allegations of Christian killings in the country.
Hegseth announced the visit in a post on his official X account on Friday, saying he received Ribadu and his team on Thursday to discuss the violence against Christians in Nigeria.
“Yesterday, I met with Nigeria’s National Security Advisor and his team to discuss the horrific violence against Christians in their country.
“Under @POTUS leadership, DOW is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists,” the post, which included photos of both men, read
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US President Donald Trump had earlier threatened to instruct the Department of War to send troops into Nigeria “guns blazing” to “wipe out the Islamic terrorists” whom he accused of killing Christians.
Following the development, Ribadu led a high-level delegation to the United States on the directives of President Bola Tinubu.
The delegation, as The Punch stated in its report, included the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi. Trump recently designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” based on claims that Christians were being systematically killed in the country.
He further warned that unless the Nigerian government halted what he described as “the genocide of Christians,” the United States, under his leadership, would take military action.
The Nigerian government has, however, consistently rejected Trump’s allegations, insisting that terrorist attacks in the country target both Muslims and Christians, and that there is no state policy or pattern of persecution against any religious group.
Trump’s comments come amid rising insecurity in several parts of the country, where terrorists have abducted scores of people and killed others.
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