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Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has criticised U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy American forces to Nigeria.
Soyinka spoke after meeting Governor Hyacinth Alia in Makurdi on Friday.
The nonagenarian warned that Trump’s comments showed a “pre-set mindset” and ignored Nigeria’s complex security challenges.
“You don’t just open your mouth and say, ‘I’m coming to help you whether you like it or not.
“With poor, almost non-existent analysis, you say you are coming with ‘guns blazing,” he said.
He noted that governments must protect citizens but stressed that victims deserve respect.
“At least respect those finding solutions to this unacceptable situation,” he said.
Trump declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” on October 31 over alleged killings of Christians. He posted the declaration on Truth Social and claimed Christianity faced an existential threat in Nigeria.
“Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
Bola Akinterinwa, a former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, says President Bola Tinubu is a more cautious leader than US President Donald Trump.
He urged U.S. lawmakers to investigate and warned that action must follow.
Trump asked Congressman Riley Moore and Chairman Tom Cole to study the situation, insisting that the U.S. must protect Christian communities worldwide.
Trump had also earlier threatened to send American forces into Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” if attacks continued. Reports have also emerged of the U.S. military drafted contingency plans for possible intervention.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu dismissed Trump’s claim that Nigeria persecutes Christians and said Trump’s description “does not reflect our national reality.”
Tinubu noted continued engagement with Christian and Muslim leaders since 2023 to improve security.
CPC Redesignation
US Congressman Bill Huizenga and President Bola Tinubu
On Thursday, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa held a public hearing on the redesignation.
The hearing, titled “A Serious, Well-Founded Wake-Up Call,” examined religious-freedom concerns in Nigeria. Senior State Department officials Jonathan Pratt and Jacob McGee testified on extremist attacks.
Committee Chairman Chris Smith said Nigeria faces “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.” Lawmakers debated Nigeria’s response and discussed sanctions, visa bans, and tighter aid conditions.
Other witnesses included Hudson Institute fellow Nina Shea, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of Makurdi, and CSIS Africa director Oge Onubogu.
They presented differing views on Nigeria’s crisis, ranging from concerns about targeted violence to warnings against oversimplification.
