The United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has called on the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to curb rising attacks on Christian communities across the country.
Hegseth made the appeal during a meeting with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, at the Pentagon on Thursday. The discussion focused heavily on the growing security threats posed by extremist groups operating in parts of Nigeria.
In a message posted on his X handle on Friday, Hegseth said he met Ribadu and his team to address what he described as “horrific violence against Christians.”
“Under the President’s leadership, the Department of War is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists,” he wrote.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell later confirmed that Hegseth urged Nigeria to take “urgent and enduring action” to halt the attacks, adding that the US is seeking to deepen security cooperation aimed at counterterrorism and protecting vulnerable communities.
The meeting came on the heels of recent comments by US President Donald Trump, who claimed that the scale of violence against Christians in Nigeria posed an existential threat. Trump warned that if the Nigerian government failed to act decisively, the US could consider military intervention.
In a related development, US Congressman Riley Moore revealed that he also met with the Nigerian delegation led by Ribadu during their visit to Washington. According to him, the talks were “frank, honest, and productive,” with discussions centred on counterterrorism support, intelligence cooperation, and safeguarding at-risk populations.
The Nigerian delegation included key senior officials such as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bianca Ojukwu, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Olatunbosun Oluyede, and Chief of Defence Intelligence Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Undiendeye.
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