Keypoints:
- Nigeria, Washington deepen discussions after Trump threat
- Tuggar says security talks now constructive
- Minister challenges misinformation on Christian killings
NIGERIA has said its security discussions with Washington are advancing constructively, even after US President Donald Trump warned of potential military intervention over what he described as widespread killings of Christians by jihadist militants. Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told AFP in Abuja that diplomatic engagement between both governments has moved well beyond the earlier rhetoric and is now centred on practical cooperation.
Talks move past threats, says minister
Trump had declared in early November that he had instructed the Pentagon to draft ‘a possible plan of attack’ in Nigeria, claiming radical Islamist groups were ‘killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers’. His remarks drew sharp global attention and triggered questions about the direction of US–Nigeria relations.
Tuggar, however, dismissed the likelihood of US military strikes, emphasising that discussions with Washington had remained ongoing and constructive.
‘No, I do not think so,’ he said when asked if he expected the US to carry out such an operation. ‘Because we continue to talk, and as I said, the discussion has progressed. It’s moved on from that.’
The minister said both countries were now focused on coordinated responses to shared security threats. ‘What we are discussing is how we can collaborate to tackle security challenges that are in the interest of the entire planet,’ he told AFP.
Pushback against crisis narrative
The foreign minister also challenged how Nigeria’s internal conflict has been represented internationally, particularly the claim that Christians are being targeted to the exclusion of other groups. He said the framing of the violence had been distorted by misinformation.
‘People have been misinformed,’ he argued. ‘There’s a drive towards creating these false narratives in order to, I suppose, debilitate Nigeria.’
Nigeria, home to around 230 million people, remains deeply divided along religious and regional lines, with a predominantly Christian south and a largely Muslim north. Over the past decade, it has battled overlapping conflicts ranging from jihadist insurgencies to banditry and communal clashes. Tuggar stressed that insurgents often kill indiscriminately.
The remarks come ahead of a hearing by the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is set to examine Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged violations of Christian religious freedoms.
Tuggar said Abuja hopes lawmakers will consider the complexity of Nigeria’s security landscape. ‘Our hope is that Nigeria will get a fair hearing when they’re having their public hearings, instead of just listening to one side,’ he said.
Government defends its security record
Acknowledging the scale of Nigeria’s challenges, Tuggar maintained that the government has invested considerable effort in tackling insurgency, terrorism and violent crime. He insisted that occasional setbacks were often driven by external factors rather than failures of policy.
‘We accept, we admit, we have security challenges due to factors, many of them beyond our control,’ he said. ‘Sometimes with a lot of success, sometimes we have setbacks due to exogenous factors, not due to something that we’re doing wrong.’
He pointed to ongoing military operations against bandit groups, which have terrorised parts of the north-west and central states. These groups, known locally as bandits, have carried out mass kidnappings, extortion and deadly assaults on rural communities.
Partnership welcome, leadership non-negotiable
Tuggar reaffirmed that Nigeria is open to cooperation with the United States and other partners, but only under arrangements where Nigerian forces remain in command.
‘If the US or any other country wants to partner Nigeria to help with the security issues, we more than welcome it,’ he said. ‘But Nigeria and Nigerian security and Nigerian troops, Nigerian military, has to be the one to take the lead.’
This position reflects longstanding sensitivities in Abuja about sovereignty, particularly after years of mixed military collaboration with Western partners during the Boko Haram conflict.
Long-running insurgency reshapes the region
Since 2009, the jihadist insurgency in the northeast has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million. The violence has spilled into Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to combat extremist groups. Despite some battlefield gains, fighters from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province continue to launch periodic attacks.
Washington has previously supported counterterrorism efforts in the region through intelligence-sharing, training and logistics. The current diplomatic exchanges may shape the next phase of US engagement, though Nigeria remains firm that any partnership must respect its leadership role.
For now, Abuja is determined to send a clear message: dialogue with Washington remains active, stable and forward-moving — despite the political shockwaves triggered by Trump’s latest warnings.
