Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, has strongly criticised United States President Donald Trump for threatening military action against Nigeria, calling on him to retract his statements and formally apologise.
The Deputy Senate President said this amid rising tensions surrounding claims of religious persecution and concerns over Nigeria’s national sovereignty.
In a video that rapidly circulated online, Jibrin denounced Trump’s remarks labelling Nigeria a “disgraced country” and criticised him for implying that the US could intervene militarily in Nigeria’s domestic matters.
“But, for now, for the president of the United States to come in and say, ‘Oh, you are doing this, and we are going to attack you … and Nigeria is a disgraced country’, this is quite unacceptable,” he said.
Jibrin insisted that the US must “follow the legal route” such as seeking United Nations resolutions, rather than bypassing international norms.
The warning from Trump followed a formal US decision to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under its religious‑freedom review process. The designation was issued after the US claimed Nigeria had tolerated “severe violations” of religious freedom, with particular emphasis on the killing of Christians.
In a social media post, Trump wrote that if Nigeria did not halt the killings, “the USA will immediately stop all aid… 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.”
In response, the Nigerian government swiftly rejected the picture painted by Washington. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu publicly stated that “the characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality,” and reaffirmed the country’s constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion for all its citizens.
Jibrin’s remarks come as northern Nigerian organisations such as the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) also voiced strong objections to what they described as external interference in Nigeria’s affairs.
The NEF accused the US of violating international treaties by intervening in the country’s domestic security issues. MACBAN, meanwhile, denounced being linked to terrorism and religious extremism, insisting it is a legitimate pastoralist body.
Nigeria faces a diplomatic challenge: responding to the US pressure without ceding autonomy, while also demonstrating tangible progress in addressing its security crises. The US, meanwhile, has signalled readiness for punitive action, including cutting aid and taking military measures, unless Nigeria alters its strategy.
As Jibrin declared: “We are not scared to say the truth. If he were here, I would tell him he has gone against international law.”
