Nigerians protest Trump’s threats, reject 'Christian genocide' claims
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Thousands protest in northern Nigeria after US President Donald Trump threatens military action, rejecting his claim of a “Christian genocide.”
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Nigerians protest United States President Donald Trump’s threats against the country, on November 8, 2025, Kano State, Nigeria (Social media)
People took to the streets on Saturday in Kano, northern Nigeria, to denounce United States President Donald Trump’s threats of military action against the country and to reject his claims of a “Christian genocide.”
In Kano State, numerous groups organized mass demonstrations condemning Trump’s remarks. Protesters carried placards reading “We condemn Trump’s threat to attack Nigeria.”
“America wants to control our resources,” another placard read.
Demonstrators accused Washington of exploiting religion to justify intervention, warning that any US military action would violate Nigeria’s sovereignty. The protests underscored widespread anger toward what many Nigerians see as an attempt to distort the country’s internal challenges for political gain.
Yes sir.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) November 1, 2025
The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. pic.twitter.com/C0v9RHGoS1
Trump’s remarks spark outrage
On November 1, Trump declared that he had ordered the Pentagon to prepare “options for possible military measures” in Nigeria, claiming the move was aimed at protecting Christians. He threatened Abuja, saying that if the Nigerian government “continues to allow the killing of Christians,” Washington would halt all aid and could “go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing.”
The remarks provoked outrage across Nigeria, with civil groups and political commentators accusing Trump of spreading misinformation and stoking sectarian divisions.
Read more: At least 80 dead after suspected Boko Haram attack in Nigeria
The Nigerian government firmly dismissed the allegations. Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said there cannot be “religious persecution that can be supported in any way, shape, or form by the government of Nigeria.”
He further stressed that such persecution “at any level, be it federal, be it regional, be it local, is impossible.”
Officials emphasized that the government remains committed to protecting all Nigerians, regardless of faith, and warned that foreign threats could destabilize national unity.
Complex security landscape
Nigeria’s security crisis is shaped by overlapping conflicts involving terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS in West Africa, as well as armed bandits, ethnic militias, and herder-farmer clashes often linked to land and resource disputes. Both Muslims and Christians have been victims of the violence, which is rooted in economic and political instability rather than religious persecution.
Saturday’s protests reflect a broader rejection of foreign intervention in Nigeria’s domestic affairs, as demonstrators and analysts alike warn that external pressure risks inflaming existing tensions.
Read more: Nigerian military kills 100+ bandits in northwest operation
