Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has met with the United States Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, to address mounting allegations of widespread killings of Christians in Nigeria.
Hegseth disclosed the meeting in a post on his official X account on Friday, noting that he received Ribadu and his delegation on Thursday in Washington, D.C. to discuss concerns surrounding religious-targeted violence.
He said the US government, under President Donald Trump, was working closely with Nigeria to end attacks attributed to jihadist groups.
“Yesterday, I met with Nigeria’s National Security Advisor and his team to discuss the horrific violence against Christians in their country. Under @POTUS leadership, DOW is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists,” Hegseth wrote, attaching photographs from the meeting.
The engagement followed recent comments by President Trump threatening to deploy US troops to Nigeria to “wipe out Islamic terrorists” allegedly responsible for killing Christians.
Trump had also designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern,” accusing the government of failing to curb what he described as “genocide.”
In response to the escalating rhetoric, President Bola Tinubu directed Ribadu to lead a high-tier delegation to the United States for diplomatic dialogue.
The team included Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu; Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; and Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly dismissed claims of religious persecution, insisting that terrorist attacks in the country affect both Christians and Muslims. Authorities maintain that there is no government policy or systemic pattern targeting any religious group.
Trump’s remarks come amid rising insecurity across multiple regions of Nigeria, where terrorist groups have continued to carry out abductions and killings despite ongoing security operations.
