The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, convened an emergency meeting on Monday with service chiefs and leaders of security and intelligence agencies at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Abuja to review the fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments about Nigeria.
According to reports, the gathering aimed to coordinate a unified response across Nigeria’s defence and intelligence community while reassessing intelligence on the potential implications of Trump’s remarks.
“The meeting is focused on impact assessment, contingency planning, and reinforcing Nigeria’s sovereignty in light of the statement attributed to the U.S. president,” the source told a counterinsurgency expert, Zagazola Makama.
Lanre Issa-Onilu, Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, said after the meeting that the Office of the NSA and senior security chiefs would brief the press on Monday.
He described the U.S. President’s claims as false and a failure of American intelligence.
Issa-Onilu added that the Federal Government remains committed to combating terrorism and urged responsible reporting on security matters.
He said the upcoming NSA briefing would give further details and reaffirm Nigeria’s dedication to religious harmony.
On Friday, Trump designated Nigeria as a country of particular concern.
He cited what he described as ongoing violence against Christians and the failure of the government to protect religious minorities.
Hours later, Trump declared that the United States military might come “gun-blazing” into Nigeria.
“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.
Responding, President Tinubu reaffirmed that “Nigeria stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.”
He further stated that “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.”
Tinubu described Trump’s remarks as a “mischaracterisation of Nigeria’s religious landscape,” stressing that such claims fail to reflect the country’s diversity and the government’s ongoing efforts to promote peaceful coexistence.
“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” the President declared.
He emphasized that “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.”
Reiterating his commitment to diplomacy, President Tinubu added that “Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths,” and that “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.”
Despite these reassurances, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that U.S. military action in Nigeria remained on the table. When asked whether he envisioned “troops on the ground or air strikes in Nigeria,” he replied: “Could be. I mean, other things. I envisage a lot of things. They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria … They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.”
