By Kavita Mistry 
U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statement alleging the persecution of Christians in Nigeria and calling for military action against Islamist groups has drawn sharp responses from Nigerian authorities and renewed focus on the country’s internal conflicts.
Mr. Trump claimed that “Islamic terrorists” were killing Christians in Nigeria. He said he had directed the Pentagon to plan military action to respond to what he described as a “Christian genocide.” The Nigerian government has strongly rejected the remarks. “It is not true that Christians are being specifically targeted in Nigeria,” said Francisca Omayuli, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She said terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP [Islamic State West Africa Province] “attack both churches and mosques”, and affirmed that Nigeria remains a constitutionally secular country.
What is the nature of the security crisis?
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is confronting multiple overlapping security challenges. These include a jihadist insurgency in the northeast, armed herder-farmer conflicts in the central Middle Belt, and rampant banditry and kidnapping in the northwest. Secessionist unrest has also intensified in parts of the southeast. According to a May 2025 report by Amnesty International, over 10,200 civilians were killed between May 2023 and May 2025 across six States — Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, and Zamfara. The report highlighted that Benue State alone accounted for 6,896 of those deaths, followed by 2,630 in Plateau.
Boko Haram, active since 2009, has waged an armed campaign in the northeast aimed at establishing an Islamic state. The group and its splinter faction, ISWAP, have targeted schools, markets, places of worship, and civilians. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), over 40,000 people have been killed and 2 million displaced in northeast Nigeria as a result of the insurgency. Although Boko Haram uses religious rhetoric, UN and local observers note that both Muslims and Christians have been victims of attacks.
In central Nigeria, violence between nomadic herders and settled farming communities has intensified. The conflict primarily centres on land and grazing rights, but often takes on religious and ethnic overtones. The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) reported that over 2,000 people had been killed and more than three lakh displaced between January 2023 and mid-2025.
File picture of Nigerian soldiers holding up a Boko Haram flag that they seized after a raid
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
In the northwest, armed groups known locally as “bandits” have carried out mass kidnappings, extortion and attacks on rural populations. These groups, operating mainly in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, and Kaduna, are not ideologically motivated but are heavily armed and often operate with impunity. The Defence Headquarters has stated that military operations have been launched in collaboration with air force units and local vigilante groups. However, progress remains slow due to difficult terrain and the absence of road infrastructure.
How is the conflict being interpreted and addressed?
While many victims of attacks in the Middle Belt are Christians, rights monitors and independent researchers have cautioned against labelling the violence as religiously motivated genocide. A 2024 Reuters investigation that reviewed 1,923 documented attacks on civilians in Nigeria concluded that only about 50 were explicitly religious in motive. The majority of incidents were attributed to terrorism, land conflict, or banditry.
In its response to Mr. Trump’s statement, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “the Nigerian government does not pursue or tolerate policies that promote religious or ethnic violence. Security agencies are actively confronting all criminal elements, regardless of their background.” The U.S. State Department redesignated Nigeria in October 2025 as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. Christian advocacy groups in the U.S. had pressed for the move, citing attacks on churches and Christian communities. While several U.S. lawmakers have supported the CPC listing, including Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, rights monitors and regional experts have urged a more nuanced interpretation of the listing.
Newspapers with articles reporting U.S. President Donald Trump’s message to Nigeria over the treatment of Christians hang at a newspaper stand in Ojuelegba, Lagos, Nigeria on November 2, 2025
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
In a statement issued on October 31, the African Union Commission on Peace and Security said, “Nigeria’s internal conflicts are complex and multidimensional. Efforts to respond must take into account local contexts and avoid generalisations.”
What steps are being taken on the ground?
The administration of President Bola Tinubu has announced several measures, including expanded military deployments in the northeast and northwest, the establishment of rural security task forces, and increased funding for displaced persons.
In a national address in October, President Tinubu stated, “the safety of all Nigerians, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or geography, is non-negotiable. Our armed forces have clear orders to neutralise all threats.” Security agencies have also launched community engagement initiatives to mediate local disputes and prevent reprisal attacks.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
According to UNOCHA’s 2025 mid-year report, 7.8 million Nigerians need humanitarian assistance. Internally displaced persons, primarily in Borno, Benue, Plateau and Zamfara, face acute shortages of food, water, and shelter. The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of rising food insecurity due to disrupted farming in conflict zones. Schools and clinics have also shut down in affected regions, impacting long-term development indicators. In its September 2025 bulletin, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) noted that “the humanitarian situation in central and northern Nigeria is among the most urgent on the continent.”
What is the way forward?
According to Nigeria’s Ministry of Defence, over 30,000 troops are currently deployed across the northeast and northwest as part of joint operations targeting insurgents and armed groups. In October 2025, the Federal Government approved 50 billion naira (about $62 million) in additional funding for humanitarian support to internally displaced persons, as confirmed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The Ministry of Interior has announced the recruitment of 10,000 new personnel into the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to strengthen rural security presence. On the international front, the European Union committed €48 million in humanitarian and development assistance to Nigeria in 2025, with a focus on conflict-affected regions. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) continues to operate in Borno, Benue, and Plateau, supporting over 1.5 million displaced persons.
Meanwhile, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council has deployed observers to monitor trends in violence and assess early warning systems in northern states. Security agencies have also initiated local peace dialogues in Plateau and Nasarawa states, according to the Federal Ministry of Information’s October briefing.