- Trump admits Muslims are also victims of killings in Nigeria
- US President still insists Christians suffer the most attacks
- Trump threatens repeated US strikes over Nigeria insecurity
- Nigeria responds with diplomatic engagement with the US.
For the first time since raising concerns over insecurity in Nigeria, former US President Donald Trump has admitted that Muslims are also being killed, even as he continues to insist that Christians remain the primary victims of violent attacks across the country.
Trump made the admission during an interview with The New York Times, marking a shift from his earlier position where he repeatedly claimed that attacks in Nigeria were solely targeted at Christians.
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“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” The New York Times quoted Trump as saying.
The former president has often been criticised for what many analysts describe as a narrow interpretation of Nigeria’s security crisis, which involves multiple armed groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State affiliates that have killed both Christians and Muslims over the years.
Speaking further on recent Christmas Day attacks on terror targets in Nigeria, Trump warned that the United States could carry out more military strikes if the violence continues.
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” he said. “But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”
When reminded that his own Africa adviser had previously stated that extremist groups in Nigeria had killed more Muslims than Christians, Trump maintained his stance.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he repeated.
In late October, Trump had escalated his rhetoric, warning that Christianity was facing what he described as an “existential threat” in Nigeria. He also accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christian communities and threatened military intervention.
Following these comments, Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a move that sparked diplomatic tension between both countries.
In response, the Nigerian Federal Government dispatched a high-powered delegation to Washington to explain the complexity of the country’s security challenges and provide a clearer picture of the situation on the ground.
Subsequently, senior US officials also visited Nigeria to assess the crisis firsthand and engage with local authorities on possible solutions.
