President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to embark on a high-stakes diplomatic visit to the United States on Tuesday, amid escalating tensions following U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning of possible military intervention in Nigeria over alleged mass killings of Christians.
Presidency sources confirmed to SaharaReporters that Tinubu’s visit will involve “top-level engagements” with senior officials of the Trump administration, following the U.S. President’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
According to the sources, President Trump has delegated his Vice President, James David Vance, to meet President Tinubu during the visit, barring any last-minute changes. The meeting is expected to focus on counterterrorism, religious freedom, and bilateral cooperation.
Earlier, Daniel Bwala, Media Aide to President Tinubu, confirmed the diplomatic engagement, saying both leaders share a “common vision” in combating extremism and safeguarding humanity from terrorism.
“Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity,” Bwala said.
He noted that the Trump administration had provided critical military support to Nigeria, which Tinubu has leveraged in the ongoing war against insurgency.
“President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorising the sale of arms to Nigeria, and President Tinubu has adequately utilized the opportunity in the fight against terrorism for which we have massive results to show for it,” he added.
Bwala also hinted that the meeting will address “perceived differences” between the two governments on the nature of religious persecution in Nigeria.
“As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or in fact all faiths and no faiths, the differences, if they exist, would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days,” he stated.
The planned meeting follows a fiery warning from President Trump, who accused the Nigerian government of allowing “genocidal killings of Christians” and threatened to halt all U.S. aid or deploy American forces if the violence persists.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
He added:
“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.”
In response, the Nigerian government dismissed the genocide allegations, describing them as “misrepresentations” of the country’s internal security challenges.
President Tinubu, in a statement issued by the Presidency on Saturday, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom and equality under the law.
“Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” Tinubu declared.
He added that his administration continues to engage both Christian and Muslim leaders to tackle security challenges that cut across all faiths and regions.
“Since 2023, our administration has maintained an open and active engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders alike and continues to address security challenges which affect citizens across faiths and regions,” he said.
Rejecting what he called “external mischaracterisation” of Nigeria’s religious landscape, Tinubu maintained that the country’s diversity is its strength.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and belief for all Nigerians,” he said.
“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” he added.
Tinubu assured that his government will continue to strengthen cooperation with the United States and other global partners to promote peace, understanding, and protection of all communities.
“Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths,” the President stated. “Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.”
The visit comes at a critical time in U.S.-Nigeria relations, as both nations navigate a growing diplomatic rift over human rights and religious freedom — issues now taking center stage in Africa’s most populous nation.
