Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has cautioned Nigerians against welcoming US President Donald Trump’s recent threat of military intervention in Nigeria, describing it as “perilous” and urging the country to focus on internal reforms instead of relying on foreign powers.
Sowore was reacting to a post by Trump on Saturday, wherein the president threatened to send US forces into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” if the country does not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by Islamists.
In a post shared on X early Sunday, Sowore argued that while Trump’s rhetoric about protecting Christians from persecution might appeal to some, history shows US military actions often lead to greater instability.
He wrote, “The latest threat by US President Donald Trump to launch military action in Nigeria, allegedly to protect Christians, may sound appealing to some. Still, history has shown this to be perilous.
“Whether you are Christian, Muslim, animist, or non-religious, no one should celebrate such rhetoric,” he said.
He cited failed interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria as examples, emphasising that Nigeria’s salvation must come from within through accountable leadership that combats corruption and violence.
“The United States and its allies have a long record of military interventions that leave nations more unstable than before.
“They failed to secure peace in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, or Syria, and they won’t bring salvation to Nigeria through bombs or boots on the ground.
“What Nigeria truly needs is not a foreign saviour, but legitimate, accountable leadership, one that protects all citizens, upholds justice, and ends the cycles of corruption and violence that have left the nation broken.”
He added that “Donald Trump does not care about Nigerians, not Christians, Muslims, or anyone else.
“Our deliverance will never come from abroad; it must come from within, through real leadership and national renewal.”
Sowore’s comments come closely after Trump escalated pressure on Nigeria over alleged religious persecution.
On Friday, Trump declared Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern’ in response to allegations of a Christian genocide in the country.
He wrote, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’
“But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!
“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me.”
In his further pressure on Saturday, the Republican leader — who had campaigned unsuccessfully for the Nobel Peace Prize — said he asked the Pentagon to map out a possible plan of attack.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA 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,” he 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.
Trump’s actions follow petitions by a US lawmaker, Riley Moore, who urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take immediate diplomatic action over what he described as the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians” in Nigeria, which he called the deadliest place in the world for followers of the faith.
In Moore’s October 6 statement, the lawmaker called for Nigeria’s redesignation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and for the suspension of arms sales until the Nigerian government demonstrates a “tangible commitment” to ending the violence.
However, the federal government has repeatedly pushed back against US claims.
In a statement posted on his official X handle on Saturday, President Bola Tinubu said Nigeria “stands firmly as a democracy governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty,” and that the description of the country as religiously intolerant “does not reflect our national reality.
“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.
“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,” Tinubu said
Under US law, the CPC designation is reserved for countries where governments engage in or tolerate “particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”
Nigeria was first placed on the list in December 2020 during Trump’s first term, following years of lobbying by religious freedom advocates who cited attacks on Christians in the Middle Belt and North-East.
However, the Biden administration controversially removed Nigeria from the list in November 2021, leading to outcry from US conservatives and advocacy groups.
