Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine deliberate to fulfill with Nigeria’s nationwide safety adviser on Thursday night, following President Donald Trump’s threats to ship U.S. troops into the nation with “guns-a-blazing” to “wipe out the Islamic Terrorists” he stated had been killing Christians.
The assembly, confirmed by two protection officers, was not included on Hegseth or Caine’s public schedules, and the arrival of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu on the Pentagon was not open to the press.
Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth seems on throughout a gathering with President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman within the Oval Workplace on the White Home in Washington, November 18, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
The Protection Division, which Hegseth now refers to because the Division of Battle, additionally didn’t reply questions on what the group deliberate to debate and whether or not the navy would change its posture in Africa, which navy officers have lengthy warned has change into the world’s hotbed for extremist terrorism.
Earlier this month, Trump ordered the Protection Division to organize for potential “quick” navy motion in Nigeria if the federal government there didn’t do extra to stop the killing of Christians. The violence in Nigeria had been the main target of intensive protection by Fox Information and the Christian political proper together with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Riley Moore, R-W. Va.
Unbiased crisis-monitoring teams, together with the Armed Battle Location and Occasion Knowledge Venture, say tens of hundreds of civilians have been killed in Nigeria lately however say the tally represents each Muslims and Christians.
In a publish on his social media platform, Trump wrote on Nov. 1, “if the Nigerian Authorities continues to permit the killing of Christians, the united statesA. will instantly cease all assist and help to Nigeria, and will very nicely go into that now disgraced nation, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to fully wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who’re committing these horrible atrocities. I’m hereby instructing our Division of Battle to organize for potential motion. If we assault, it will likely be quick, vicious, and candy, identical to the terrorist thugs assault our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”
Hegseth shortly responded to Trump’s publish with a “Sure sir,” including “the Division of Battle is making ready for motion.”
Trump additionally put Nigeria again on a listing of nations that the U.S. says have violated spiritual freedom.
Nigeria’s authorities has rejected the designation as a “nation of explicit concern.” Officers there say the allegation that it is not defending teams of individuals due to their spiritual beliefs was primarily based on misinformation and defective knowledge.
President Donald Trump meets Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman within the Oval Workplace of the White Home, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington.
Win McNamee/Getty Photos
Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated “the characterisation of Nigeria as religiously illiberal doesn’t mirror our nationwide actuality, nor does it think about the constant and honest efforts of the federal government to safeguard freedom of faith and beliefs for all Nigerians.”
Sending U.S. floor troops into Nigeria would pose vital logistical and safety challenges, because of Nigeria’s distant terrain, porous borders and a inhabitants prone to bristle at a overseas presence. There are 6,500 navy personnel deployed throughout Africa, primarily centered on counterterrorism missions. However the one personnel in Nigeria are embassy employees with no persistent presence of troops in West Africa or the Sahel area, which navy warns is a hotbed for extremism.
Conducting drone assaults in West Africa additionally may very well be logistically troublesome, on condition that the U.S. was pressured to vacate counterterrorism bases in neighboring Niger after a navy coup there.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jacob McGee steered to reporter that the “frank conversations” with Nigerian officers was having the specified affect.
“I feel President Trump’s daring motion to truly label Nigeria a rustic of explicit concern was welcomed by virtually throughout the board civil society and non secular activist teams, and it is gotten Nigerian officers’ consideration. So, we’re having frank conversations,” McGee stated.
A Nigerian delegation additionally met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week, in line with Rep. Moore.
“I made it crystal clear that america should see tangible steps to make sure that Christians usually are not topic to violence, persecution, displacement, and dying merely for believing in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Moore stated in an announcement.
ABC’s Mariam Khan contributed to this report.
