TERRORISM AND Insurgency have ravaged Nigeria since 2009 when Boko Haram turned violent after its establishment in 2002 by the Late Mohammed Yusuf.
Churches have been viciously attacked and many Christians killed in the Northern and North-Central parts of the country almost on a daily basis.
Tens of thousands of Nigerians have been killed with millions displaced internally by the violence.
According to Conversation Africa, Nigeria was ranked sixth in the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, with a score of 7.658, moving up from eighth place in 2023 and 2024.
US president Donald Trump declared Nigeria a “country of particular concern” in November 2025.
This was the result of a campaign by US congressman Riley Moore, who alleged that there was an “alarming and ongoing persecution of Christians” in the west African country. The congressman stated that 7,000 Nigerian Christians had been killed in 2025 alone, an average of 35 a day.
Trump also threatened to take direct military action against Islamist militant groups operating in Nigeria.
This is not the first time that Nigeria is been ranked a country of particular concern. In 2020, under the then President Muhammadu Buhari, it was designated so.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu responded that there was no Christian genocide in Nigeria. He went as far as to say that successive governments in Nigeria upheld the diversity of faiths in the country.
The critical question to ask is that is there Christian genocide in Nigeria? Yes, I agree that churches and Christians are being targeted especially in the north but I don’t in my humble opinion agree that there is a Christian genocide because many Muslims are also being targeted as well in the violence.
Why is Trump interested in a military invasion of Nigeria? Is it because he genuinely cares about Christians or is there more to it that meets the eye?
It is a well-known fact that the Chinese now have more than a passing interest in Nigeria’s economy and many of her strategic mineral resources. Many of the mining of gold and other solid minerals especially in the north are being done in collaboration with the Chinese. America seems edged out and are clearly itching for a share of the lucrative pie.
I was flabbergasted to see many Nigerians especially Christians rejoice over Trump’s planned invasion and was shocked to my bone marrow at their level of ignorance.
America is only moved by her interests and they put it first before they embark on any foreign diplomatic activity.
Let us recall the invasion of Libya after the demonization of the Muammar Ghaddafi regime by the Barack Obama led administration. Libya before the invasion took great care of her citizens and the standard of living was very high – most adult citizens lived-in rent-free houses, graduates had lucrative jobs, foreign workers were well paid with all sort of incentives to stay behind etc.
Post Obama’s invasion – Libya has now been turned into a killing field where life is brutish, nasty, and short apologies to the state of nature by Thomas Hobbse. Libya has clearly been worse off and Obama couldn’t even be bothered to tender a public apology for the brutal nature of life that the once beautiful country has now been reduced to.
What about the invasion of Iraq under the then President George Bush under the pretext of the search for weapons of mass destruction? Were the so-called weapons found? Was the invasion not solely driven by oil interests and the rabid desire of America to grab its share of the pie?
Syria is a country where there is massive Christian Genocide and yet US President, Donald Trump hosted its President, Ahmed Al-Sharaa in the White House recently. Isn’t that hypocrisy and a gargantuan betrayal of the Christians resident in Syria? Who is deceiving who?
Nigerians should learn from history and never foolishly whole-heartedly trust America with her America first agenda that doesn’t even mind the needless spilling of blood to achieve her aims.
Rather than a whole scale invasion, America under Trump should consider helping our military defeat insurgency through economic aid, military support, and a more pro Africa diplomatic leaning. That way like the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping in Nigeria will be a thing of the past.
Nigeria is a Sovereign State and so I totally reject the invasion of the northern part of the country in the name of waging war on Christian genocide.
We recall the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact in 1961 shortly after independence from the United Kingdom which was roundly rejected by most Nigerians especially the university students of the University of Ibadan. This planned invasion by Uncle Sam should also suffer a similar fate as it makes a huge mockery of our independent status as a free State.
Trump is a nauseating bully and Nigeria under President Tinubu should stand tall and resist this agenda of an ‘annexation’ of the most populous black nation to be a solid minerals extension for mindless exploitation by Uncle Sam.
Every nation has their fair share of challenges with America currently battling serious gun violence. Has any advanced nation thought of an invasion of Yankee to help solve its gun violence problem which daily claims the lives of both Americans and foreigners alike? Why hasn’t the European Union which is a very powerful bloc intervened in Uncle Sam? It is high time that Washington DC stopped interfering in the affairs of Africa so that the world’s second most populous albeit poorest continent can develop at its own pace and stop being a western whipping boy.
In conclusion, the United States could consider a sturdy partnership with the Multi-National Joint Task Force to effectively combat terrorism in Nigeria and lay out effective counter terrorism strategies so that together we can permanently rout out the ugly scourge. In addition, our military personnel could be trained in American military institutions to give them the confidence and skills to battle terrorism. All this can be effectively done without the recourse to an invasion which will be a slap on the face on Nigeria post-independence after sixty-five years.
Tony Ademiluyi, a journalist and public analyst, can be reached via anthonyademiluyi@yahoo.com
