“Warning: The Nigerian government better act fast!” Trump writes in capital letters on Truth Social.
Trump also states that he has ordered the Pentagon to prepare for a military operation.
Any attack will be "swift and brutal," according to the president, "just as the terrorist thugs are attacking our beloved Christians."
The US will also immediately stop all aid to Nigeria and "may very well" enter the country with "guns drawn," Trump writes.
Addressed allegations
The threat follows Trump's statement on Friday that Christianity is under threat in Nigeria and that thousands of Christians are being killed.
"Radical Islamists are responsible for the mass murder," Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.
On Saturday, Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu responded to the allegations.
"Religious freedom and tolerance have been a central part of our collective identity and will always remain so," Tinubu writes on social media.
Nigeria “opposes religious persecution,” according to the Nigerian president.
"Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all religions," Tinubu writes, stating that since 2023 his government has actively worked with Christian and Muslim leaders to protect citizens.
Terror in the North
Trump's statement comes shortly after Republican Senator Ted Cruz accused Nigeria of mass killings of Christians and urged the US Congress to determine that the West African country systematically violates religious freedom.
The northern parts of Nigeria are dominated by Muslims, while most Christians live in the south. Historically, both religiously motivated violence and attacks between different ethnic groups have occurred.
In recent years, the Islamist extremist movement Boko Haram has terrorized the population in the north, resulting in many Muslim victims.
