Nigeria says US help against insurgents welcome as long as territorial integrity respected

Statement follows Trump’s threat of military action over alleged ill-treatment of Christians

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Newspapers with articles on US President Donald Trump's message to Nigeria over the treatment of Christians at a newsstand in Lagos on Nov 2. Research shows that out of 1,923 attacks on civilians in Nigeria so far in 2025, the number targeting Christians because of their religion stood at 50.

(PHOTO: REUTERS)

ABUJA - Nigeria said on Nov 2 that it would welcome US help in fighting Islamist insurgents as long as its territorial integrity is respected, responding to threats of military action by US President Donald Trump over what he said was the ill-treatment of Christians in the West African country.

Mr Trump said on Nov 1 that he had asked the Defence Department to prepare for possible “fast” military action in Nigeria if Africa’s most populous country fails to crack down on the killing of Christians.

“We welcome US assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity,’ Mr Daniel Bwala, an adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, told Reuters.

But Mr Trump on Nov 2 told reporters that the US military could deploy troops to Nigeria or carry out air strikes to stop what he called the killing of “very large numbers” of Christians there, but gave no further details.

“I envisage a lot of things,” he said aboard Air Force One, without elaborating.

Mr Bwala sought to play down tensions between the two states, despite Mr Trump calling Nigeria a “disgraced country”.