Nigeria denies persecution of Christians after US missile attack

Donald Trump said the US missiles on Christmas Day attacked 'terrorists' targeting Christians in Nigeria even as the Giant of Africa denied persecution of Christians in the country as claimed by the U.S. President

Donald Trump said the US missiles on Christmas Day attacked 'terrorists' targeting Christians in Nigeria even as the Giant of Africa denied persecution of Christians in the country as claimed by the U.S. President.

While confirming the U.S. missile attack in Northwest Nigeria, the local government dismissed Trump’s assertions, saying armed groups target both Muslim and Christian communities in the country.

The Nigerian government also said the US claims that Christians face persecution “do not represent a complex security situation involving ethnic, economic, and resource conflicts rather than solely religious genocide.

The Nigerian government also said the U.S. military action “ignores efforts by Nigerian to safeguard religious freedom.”

Trump orders Nigeria bombing

The missile attack on Nigeria was confirmed by Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.

“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!

“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was”, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The strikes reportedly involved over a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a U.S. Navy ship in the Gulf of Guinea, with some reports mentioning possible drone involvement from bases in Ghana.

The U.S. Department of Defense later released video footage showing a missile launch from a vessel.

Nigerian region targeted by the US military

Neither Trump nor the U.S. Department of Defense provided details of the specific region attacked by the American forces.

Some reports however said the U.S. missiles targeted northwest Nigeria's Sokoto State, near the border with Niger which is a predominantly Muslim state, and analysts note that most victims of violence in northern Nigeria are Muslims.

With a population of over 230 million people, Nigeria is perceived as a Muslim majority country. However, the Nigeria population is evenly split between Christians and Muslims.

As per the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) 2024 survey, the population of Muslims and Christians in Nigeria is roughly 46% each whereas the remaining 8% are followers of traditional religions.

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