NSA, Service Chiefs Hold Emergency Meeting Over President Trump’s Military Action Threat

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday convened an emergency meeting with service chiefs and heads of security and intelligence agencies at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Abuja, to assess the implications of U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statement on Nigeria.

Top security sources said the high-level meeting, which began Monday afternoon, was called to evaluate the potential consequences of Trump’s remarks accusing the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militant groups.

Trump, speaking late Saturday, alleged that the U.S. military was being prepared to “act in Nigeria to tackle Islamist militancy,” a declaration that has sparked alarm in diplomatic and security circles in Abuja and other West African capitals.

According to the source, the NSA’s meeting was aimed at coordinating a unified response among Nigeria’s defence and intelligence institutions while reviewing intelligence assessments of the potential consequences of Trump’s pronouncement.

“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.

The development comes as an aide to President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, insisted that the United States could not conduct any military operation in Nigeria without the President’s express approval.

The controversy has already generated ripple effects across the region.

In Nigeria, the government has firmly denied any claims of a Christian genocide. President Bola Tinubu emphasised that Nigeria’s constitution enshrines the protection of religious rights and equality for all faiths.

After the President’s clarification, Trump doubled down on his stance, declaring 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.

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians,” he added.

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.”

Meanwhile, the Office of the National Security Adviser is expected to release a formal statement after the meeting, outlining Nigeria’s coordinated national security position and next steps to safeguard its sovereignty amid growing international attention.  (SaharaReporters)