US Weighs Military Options as Tinubu Restates Resolve to Defeat Terrorism
US Weighs Military Options as Tinubu Restates Resolve to Defeat Terrorism
•President says Nigeria continuing diplomatic engagement with global partners
•Hegseth directs Africa Command to send plans for possible strikes in Nigeria
•Baba-Ahmed advises Tinubu to address Nigerians on military threat
•New US Congress resolution seeks visa ban for Miyetti Allah
Deji Elumoye, Emmanuel Addeh, Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Sunday Okobi in Lagos
In what appeared to be his first direct statement on the ongoing stand-off between Nigeria and the United States over alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu yesterday declared that the country remained resolute in its fight against terrorism, despite diplomatic and political challenges.
It was also learnt yesterday that the United States was considering several options in its planned military intervention in Nigeria, including airstrikes on known compounds in northern Nigeria inhabited by militant groups.
Tinubu spoke after swearing in two new ministers, Dr. Bernard Mohammed Doro, and Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh (SAN), who will oversee the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, and Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology respectively.
Speaking shortly before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at State House, Abuja, the president stated that Nigeria “will defeat terrorism in our country”, signalling his commitment to national security and stability.
He acknowledged the political headwinds Nigeria currently faced, but emphasised continued diplomatic engagement with global partners.
Nigeria’s current face-off with the US centred on allegations of religious persecution and human-rights abuses. The US administration under Donald Trump publicly criticised Nigeria over reported attacks on Christian communities and what it described as insufficient protection of religious minorities.
Besides, Washington signalled the possibility of punitive measures, including sanctions and, in more dramatic rhetoric, potential military intervention, if the situation was not addressed.
But Abuja rejected the accusations, describing them as exaggerated and politically motivated. Nigerian officials stated that the violence in the affected region was driven more by banditry, competition over land, and broader insecurity, rather than a deliberate, state-backed campaign against Christians. They emphasised that both Muslim and Christian communities had suffered casualties and that the government was already taking steps to improve security.
Tinubu Pledges to Crush Terrorism
Tinubu said, “The most important thing is the fact that despite the political headwind and the fear of our people, we will continue to engage with our partners. The success of the 2.3-billion-euro bond oversubscribed is the most at this stage.”
The president called for unity and renewed purpose, underscoring the importance of the task ahead and his plan to build a prosperous nation.
He stated, “The task ahead is immense but we are resolved to move forward with unity and purpose, guided by renewed hope, an agenda to build a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient Nigeria. Thank you very much.”
Idris: FG Responding Decisively to Security Concerns
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, also on Thursday, explained that the federal government was responding decisively and responsibly to recent security concerns.
Idris stressed that there was no cause for panic, as efforts to contain terrorism and protect citizens’ constitutional rights had intensified.
Answering reporters’ questions after the FEC meeting, Idris said the government at the centre remained firmly committed to ensuring that every Nigerian was safe. He said the right to freedom of worship, guaranteed under the constitution, would continue to be upheld without fear or intimidation.
The minister acknowledged that cases of violent extremism persisted in parts of the country, but maintained that security agencies were actively addressing the situation, in partnership with regional and international allies.
According to him, “The killing of even one Nigerian is of concern to the government of Nigeria. Our constitution guarantees every citizen the right to worship without lethal hindrance, and we are fully committed to that.”
The minister dismissed suggestions of instability within the administration, saying Tinubu and members of the Federal Executive Council remain calm, focused and united.
He stated, “Yes, there are security issues; yes, people are being killed in some areas. But the government is responding, and doing so with the utmost sense of responsibility. There is no panic mode here. The president is calm; the council is calm. The government is stable.”
He stressed that Nigeria was working closely with the international community and partners, such as the United States, to curb terrorism, secure porous borders, and bolster intelligence-sharing.
He explained, “Issues of terrorism and violent extremism are not tackled by one country alone. We continue to engage regional partners and international partners, including the United States.
“Channels have been opened, and we prefer the situation is handled diplomatically rather than escalated through rhetoric.”
According to him, the administration will continue to strengthen law-enforcement capacity and reinforce directives to security agencies to maintain order nationwide.
Idris said, “We will continue to impress on our security agencies to maintain law and order wherever they are.” He added, “Whatever concerns there are, the government of Nigeria will take care of them.”
The minister added that the country’s long-standing tradition of religious tolerance would be preserved, and Nigeria would continue to welcome support from the international community, while responding in a manner consistent with its sovereignty, dignity and national interest.
US Mulls Military Options in Nigeria
The New York Times reported that the United States was considering several options in its planned military intervention in Nigeria, including airstrikes on known compounds in northern Nigeria inhabited by militant groups.
Similarly, American drones, like the MQ-9 Reaper and the MQ-1 Predator, could attack a vehicles and convoys, or could team up with Nigerian soldiers to raid villages to root out insurgents who had entrenched themselves in rural hamlets in the country’s north, according to the report.
However, American forces might not be able to end a decades-long insurgency in Africa’s most populous country, despite President Donald Trump’s order to the Pentagon to prepare to intervene militarily in Nigeria to protect Christians from attack by Islamic militants, US officials interviewed by the New York Times maintained.
The insurgency had claimed lives across sectarian lines in Nigeria, military officials said.
Relatedly, former presidential adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, requested that the president address the nation in the light of the recent military threat by Trump against Nigeria.
A fresh US Congress resolution also recommended targeted sanctions and other restrictive measures on individuals and entities who lawmakers said were responsible for severe violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.
However, the New York Times report stated that the American military could not do much to quell the violence unless it was willing to start an Iraq or Afghanistan-style campaign, quoting officials, something that it said no one appeared to be seriously contemplating.
But the officials said there were some steps available to American war planners that could have limited effect on the militants.
They were all part of the options that officials with United States Africa Command drew up this week, defence officials said, to forward to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon.
They generated the plans after Trump’s announcement over the weekend threatening military action to stop what he described as attacks on “Cherished Christians”.
Militant groups, like Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, had targeted Christians in Nigeria, along with many Muslims accused of not being devout enough. Any major military operation by the United States would be likely to fail, current and former military officials said, according to the New York Times.
“It would be a fiasco,” said Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, a retired Army veteran of the war in Iraq and U.S. efforts to counter the insurgency there. The American public had not shown much interest in repeating the Iraq- or Afghanistan-style military campaigns in Nigeria, he stated. Nor had the president, beyond his recent social media posts.
Any potential effort by Trump to direct the military to target Nigerian insurgents through his preferred method — airstrikes — would be likely to cause shock and awe but not much more, military officials told the New York Times. Eaton likened such an effort to “pounding a pillow”.
Current and former military and national security officials, including those with experience fighting Islamic militant groups in West and Central Africa, said Trump’s latest directive had left them stumped.
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was quick to respond, also on social media. “Yes, Sir,” he wrote. Hegseth’s office quickly directed Africa Command to send plans for possible strikes.
Three defence officials told the New York Times the plans from the command had three options — light, medium and heavy — and were intended to be escalatory.
The light option, the officials said, included what the military called partner-enabled operations. Under that option, the U.S. military and the State Department would support government forces in Nigeria to target Boko Haram and other Islamic insurgents, who had attacked, kidnapped and murdered civilians, mostly in northern Nigeria, where sectarian and ethnic violence had raged for almost 20 years.
The United States would have to conduct the operations without the expertise of the U.S. Agency for International Development, whose office in Abuja officially closed in July, after the Trump administration shuttered the agency.
But that action would come with a host of issues, the thorniest being that the violence in the northern Nigerian Sahel falls along linguistic, cultural and religious lines, according to the report. Much of it is based on land use and tenure and is fomented in some cases by corruption in the Nigerian government. Farmers and herders in the region have battled one another over land use for decades, and militant Islamic groups have taken advantage of the distrust to push their own agenda.
Boko Haram has attacked, kidnapped and killed both Christians and Muslims. Previous American governments provided Nigeria with intelligence and security to help target the group, but balked at selling some weapons because of concerns over human rights abuses by the Nigerian military.
The medium option being put forward by Africa Command, officials said, includes drone strikes on militant camps, bases, convoys and vehicles in northern Nigeria. American Predator and Reaper drones can loiter for hours before striking, and other U.S. intelligence can gather information on specific targets’ pattern of life.
But that option comes with its own issues, not least being that the U.S. military in August vacated its two nearest drone bases, in Agadez and Niamey, both in neighbouring Niger. Russian forces now occupy those bases.
Drones launched from Niamey or Agadez could reach Nigeria in an hour, one military official said. But now, the closest known places from which the United States could launch drones are southern Europe and, perhaps, Djibouti, in East Africa, where the U.S. military has a large base.
One official suggested that West African countries seeking favour with the Trump administration might allow their territories to be used, but that is less clear. Doing so would also go against the wishes of the Nigerian government, which is hugely influential on the continent, and could open up another set of problems for neighbouring countries.
The Nigerian government has said it welcomes U.S. assistance in targeting Islamist insurgents but added the caveat that any action must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity.
The heavy option, military officials said, would be to move an aircraft carrier group into the Gulf of Guinea and to deploy fighters and, perhaps, long-range bombers to conduct strikes deep in northern Nigeria. But the United States is already in the process of moving one of its aircraft carriers, the Gerald R. Ford, from its deployment in Europe to the southern Caribbean, where Trump has declared war on drug cartels. Other aircraft carriers are currently deployed in the Pacific or in the Middle East or are undergoing maintenance, the report added.
Deploying an American aircraft carrier to the Gulf of Guinea to take on Islamic insurgents in Nigeria was not deemed to be a 2025 national security priority as recently as Friday, several military officials said.
Address Nigerians on Ongoing Face-off, Baba-Ahmed Tells Tinubu
Former presidential adviser to Tinubu, Baba-Ahmed, said the president should address the country in view of the recent military threat by Trump. Baba-Ahmed said this on Thursday in a post he shared on his Facebook page.
The former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it was troubling that Tinubu had yet to personally address Nigerians regarding the development, warning that the president’s silence sends a disturbing message about Nigeria’s leadership.
Baba-Ahmed stated, “If President Tinubu truly has capable advisers and understands the weight of his office, he should have spoken to Nigerians by now. This is not the time for ministers or aides to issue statements.
“The president himself should reassure the country, clarify our position, and outline the steps his administration intends to take. Our silence makes us appear weak and without direction.”
Baba-Ahmed advised Tinubu against travelling to the US to meet with Trump, saying it would damage Nigeria’s image.
He said, “At this critical moment, Tinubu should not even think of going to America to meet Trump. It would only worsen Nigeria’s image — like receiving a slap and smiling in return.”
Baba-Ahmed urged the president to act decisively.
“If Tinubu truly listens to those who care about this country, he must act immediately — appoint ambassadors, rebuild Nigeria’s diplomatic presence, and address the nation directly,” he said.
Trump had threatened to deploy American military forces to Nigeria if the alleged genocide against Christians was not stopped, but the Tinubu government refuted the claim.
US Congress Seeks Visa Ban for Miyetti Allah
A fresh US Congress resolution recommended targeted sanctions and other restrictive measures on individuals and entities who lawmakers believed were responsible for violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.
The resolution named the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as erring entities. Sanctions recommended on members of the groups included visa bans and asset freezes.
Smith Christopher, member of the House of Representatives, introduced the resolution on Tuesday while commending US President Donald Trump for re-designating Nigeria a country of particular concern (CPC).
In the document, Christopher added that the US also placed “Fulani-Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau states on the entities of particular concern (EPC) list under the International Religious Freedom Act.
EPCs are non-state actors that have engaged in particularly severe violations of religious freedom under US law. Some previously designated EPCs included Boko Haram, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa, and the Taliban.
The bill came the same day as an announcement from Ted Cruz, US senator, who vowed to hold Nigerian officials accountable over claims of a Christian genocide.
“I intend to be very explicit about who they are in the coming days and weeks,” Cruz said.
In October, the senator had proposed a bill christened the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025”. The bill called for targeted sanctions against “federal officials or state governors” who “promoted, enacted, or maintained Nigerian blasphemy laws, including through public advocacy, legislative action, or executive enforcement directives”.
Coalition Expresses Concern over Threat
Coalition of Civil Society Groups in Nigeria yesterday expressed deep concern over the recent statements by President of the United States of America, Trump, who threatened possible military action in Nigeria to protect Christians against terrorists’ onslaughts, and the designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern (CPC)” under the US International Religious Freedom Act.
The coalition stated that the developments represented an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty, an insult to Nigeria’s democratic integrity, and a serious threat to peace, security, and stability across West Africa.
“We, therefore, call upon the United States Congress to act responsibly by repudiating these reckless threats and reviewing the baseless designation that paints a distorted image of our nation,” the coalition said.
The group also petitioned the United States Congress, the US embassy in Abuja, Tinubu, the National Assembly, and other authorities in Nigeria, through the Lagos State House of Assembly, during a peaceful protest at the Assembly complex.
It said Nigeria was a vibrant democracy governed by a constitutional framework that guaranteed freedom of religion, belief, and association to all citizens.
The coalition, led by National Coordinator of Activists for Good Governance (AGG), Mr. Declan Ihekaire, and other leaders of other groups, said, “Since returning to democratic governance in 1999, we have conducted free and fair elections every four years, with peaceful transitions of power. No Nigerian leader holds office for life. Our democracy, though imperfect, continues to deepen through the will of the people.
“Religious diversity is one of Nigeria’s greatest strengths. Christians and Muslims coexist in every part of the country, while millions also practise traditional faiths. Nigeria’s federal and state institutions reflect this pluralism, and successive governments, including the current administration, have worked closely with religious and community leaders to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.”
On what the coalition tagged “Misrepresentation of Religious Persecution,” Ihekaire stated, “The narrative that Nigeria persecutes Christians is false and misleading.
“Nigeria’s security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, and communal violence, affect citizens of all faiths. Extremist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP have killed far more Muslims than Christians, as their strongholds are in predominantly Muslim northern states. Likewise, bandits in the North-west have attacked Muslim and Christian communities alike. The portrayal of Nigeria as a state-driven violator of religious freedom is, therefore, a distortion of facts.
“These are security challenges rooted in poverty, extremism, and governance gaps — not in state-sponsored religious persecution.”
Ihekaire added that Trump’s statement threatening military intervention in Nigeria, allegedly, to “protect Christians”, was both irresponsible and unlawful, stressing that it constitutes a violation of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use or threat of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
He stated, “It also contravenes the principles of the African Union Constitutive Act, which upholds sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of member states.
“History offers painful lessons from similar interventions in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan — nations devastated under the banner of ‘liberation’ and ‘protection’. Such actions have never delivered peace, only chaos and lasting instability.”
The coalition, however, stated that Trump’s threat had made the Nigerian government to sit up a bit, stressing that Nigeria does not require foreign bombs or boots on its soil.
“What we need is international cooperation, intelligence support, and developmental partnerships to help our government defeat terrorism and strengthen the rule of law,” the group added.
While receiving the petition, House Majority Leader, Naheem Adam, described the protest as peaceful and legal, adding that civil society is very important in a democracy.
•President says Nigeria continuing diplomatic engagement with global partners •Hegseth directs Africa Command to send plans for possible strikes in Nigeria •Baba-Ahmed advises Tinubu to address Nigerians on military threat
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