A Nigerian mission leader described President Trump’s efforts to halt violence against Christians in his country as an “answered prayer.”
Andrew Gwaivangmin, executive secretary of the Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association, stated in an interview that Christians are “excited” by Trump’s focus on stopping the killings of believers after years of bloodshed.
“We have appealed to the international community to compel our government to act appropriately. This marks the only time America has concentrated its attention on this violence in Nigeria. Consequently, as a Christian, I am excited,” he remarked.
“I am pleased that Trump is focusing on ensuring that . Anyone who does not support Trump’s intervention clearly fails to grasp the reality and gravity of the violence that has occurred in northern Nigeria over the past decade.”
In a November Truth Social post, Trump threatened to dispatch forces “guns-a-blazing” into Africa’s most populous nation to “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.” The president also warned of cutting off all aid and assistance if the violence persisted.
Nigeria’s government responded to Trump’s threat, stating on social media that its administration has collaborated with both Christian and Muslim leaders to address security challenges affecting citizens across all faiths and regions.
“The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it acknowledge the government’s consistent and sincere efforts to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” he posted on X.
“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.”
Open Doors, an international Christian organization that supports , reported that attacks are most prevalent in the northern, Muslim-majority states of Nigeria but have begun to spread into the Middle Belt and farther south.
The stated that Christians are at risk from targeted attacks by Islamist militants, including Fulani fighters and Boko Haram. Women are frequently killed and subjected to sexual violence.
Gwaivangmin disclosed that many missionaries from his organization have been attacked and killed.
“We’ve experienced casualties. We’ve had to bury our missionaries. Our missionaries are compelled to relocate directly. In fact, I can tell you that today, we have hundreds of widows whose husbands have been killed in their field as missionaries,” he elaborated.
“It’s not easy to be a Christian in Nigeria, and sadly, our government doesn’t seem to care to hold people accountable for all the killings, the mass killings that occur in this country,” Gwaivangmin further commented.
The leader of the largest global missions organization for the Nigerian Christian church indicated he would welcome U.S. military involvement to help end the violence. He considered the presence of American unrealistic, but hoped the United States could provide logistical support and equipment to strengthen Nigeria’s forces.