…threatens to withdraw financial support for Nigeria
President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, has again lambasted the Federal Government of Nigeria over alleged attacks targeting Christians in the country.
He threatened to withdraw America’s financial support to Nigeria, accusing the government of ineffectiveness in addressing the killings that have continued to plague the nation.
Trump made the remarks in an audio message broadcast on Fox News Radio’s The Brian Kilmeade Show on Friday.
The US president accused Nigerian authorities of failing to curb the violence.
“I think Nigeria is a disgrace. The whole thing is a disgrace. They are killing people by the thousands. It is a genocide, and I am really angry about it,” Trump said.
He threatened that US financial support for Nigeria could be withdrawn if the alleged violence continued.
He claimed that the crisis was largely ignored until he raised the alarm.
“And we pay, you know, we give a lot of subsidy to Nigeria. We are going to end up stopping. The government has done nothing. They are very ineffective. They are killing Christians at will. You know, until I got involved in it two weeks ago, nobody even talked about it,” he added.
Earlier, the US President had declared Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern over alleged killing of Christians, claiming that Christianity was “facing an existential threat” in the country.
He warned that if the Nigerian government failed to halt the killings, American response would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
But Trump’s statements heightened tension in Nigeria, prompting the government to send a delegation to the US for consultations.
US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who led the delegation, at the Pentagon on Thursday.
The Pentagon said Hegseth urged Nigeria to take decisive action against the growing attacks targeting Christians.
Also, US Congressman Riley Moore met with the Nigerian delegation on Wednesday night in Washington, DC, stating that discussions focused on counterterrorism collaboration and the protection of vulnerable communities. He described the talks as “frank, honest, and productive.”
The Nigerian delegation included several senior government and security officials: Bianca Ojukwu, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun; Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Olatunbosun Oluyede; and Chief of Defence Intelligence Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Undiendeye, among others.
