Trump’s Threat ‘Unlawful, Unjustified’ — Ex-Envoy Warns
Former Deputy Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States, Ambassador Hassan Mohammed, has condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks allegedly threatening Nigeria with invasion or air strikes over claims of religious persecution.
In an interview with ARISE News on Monday night, Mohammed explained that while the U.S. can pressure countries that fail to uphold religious freedom under its 1998 International Freedom of Religion Act (IFRA), the law does not grant authority for any form of military intervention.
“In 1998, a law came up in the United States that’s the International Freedom of Religions Act. That act gives the U.S. the right to pressure any country not doing the right thing in terms of religion or religious practices,” he said.
The former envoy recalled that Nigeria had once been listed under the Act in 2001 and 2002 but the matter was peacefully resolved through diplomatic dialogue.
“What is worrying about Trump’s statement is the threat to punish Nigeria with war, strikes, or invasion. This has never happened before,” he said, adding that the intention of the law was to encourage fairness, not justify military action.
He emphasized that there is no provision in the Act granting the U.S. the right to declare war over religious issues. “What Trump has done now or threatened to do shows there is more than meets the eye. We may discover the motivations in due course,” he noted.
His comments followed a statement by Trump on Truth Social, where the U.S. president warned that Washington might “go in guns blazing” if the Nigerian government failed to stop alleged killings of Christians.
Trump had written: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, 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 committing these horrible atrocities.”
The Nigerian president over the weekend denied any claims of “Christian genocide,” insisting that Nigeria remains committed to democracy, peace, and religious freedom for all citizens.
