S.O.S ALIEME

When the U.S. President Donald Trump declared Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” little did many Nigerians know what it meant and the implications of that declaration. But in a swift development, Nigerians woke up on January 25, 2025 to hear that the U.S. President Donald Trump has fulfilled his words when he said he was going to fight the bandits persecuting Christians in Nigeria if they don’t stop killing Christians.  

True to this threat, he carried out the operation and scores of persecutors namely the ISIS, ISWAP and Boko Haram members were killed. Trump reiterated his commitment to bringing an end to the bloodshed and protect our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ. Before the intervention of Trump, Nigerian Christians had endured unimaginable suffering in the hands of the bandits such as women who had watched their children and loved ones brutally murdered in front of them. All these unimaginable incidents are targeted violence against Christians in the middle Belt by Muslim Fulani radicals.

Trump had threatened military action against Nigeria shortly after announcing that if Nigerian government fails to stop the killing of Christians.  Trump had also threatened that U.S.A. will immediately stop all aids and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, this is to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.  It could be noted that after the December 25 strike, Trump said in a statement that warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay and which he did.

Trump described the December air strikes in North West Nigeria as a ‘Christmas present’ for terrorists. He was being ironic, but his pronouncement may turn out to be true. If the outcome was indeed a lack of casualties (as claimed by some disgruntled elements in Nigeria who live and dine with lies), increased legitimacy for ISIS, ISWAP and Boko Haram and a deterioration in the flow of intelligence from local communities to national and international agencies, then the operation may well have handed ISIS, ISWAP and Boko Haram and other armed groups in the region a gift, with far-reaching consequences for the conflict landscape in West Africa.

Trump revealed in a post on his Truth Social platform that the US had launched “numerous perfect” strikes on “ISIS positions” in Northwest Nigeria. He said and I quote: “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” the post read. Trump did not disclose details about which or how many targets were hit, but he said the US would continue if the alleged killings of Christians did not stop.

The US said in a statement that an initial assessment of the strikes had revealed “multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in the ISIS camps”. Nigeria said the US carried out the attacks in coordination with its government but denied US allegations of a “Christian genocide”. The supposed persecution of Christians in Nigeria has become a rallying cry for right-wing activists and lawmakers in the US in recent months. Although Nigerian authorities and analysts have stressed that armed groups in the country target Muslims and Christians alike, Trump and his allies have been promoting a narrative that Muslims are oppressing and killing Christians in the West African country. The Christmas Day strike allows Trump to present himself as a protector of Christians. His fellow Republicans have already lined up to praise the move. “We cannot turn a blind eye to Islamist terrorists conducting genocide against Christians in Nigeria and nearby area,” Congressman Don Bacon wrote in a social media post. “This military action is right. To intervene saves innocent lives. We praise our military for working round the clock to include Christmas.” 

Nigerian government is arguing that the country is getting the support it has sought for from the US for years. It feels like the Nigerian government is finding itself in a situation where it is under duress from the Trump administration, who have their own arguments about what is going on in Nigeria, which serve their own purpose. The strikes are ultimately positive if they will make the Northern regions safer for Nigerians by taking out supposedly some terrorists. It is of great concern that places of worship are vulnerable targets in remote areas. That seems to be a bigger reason for these attacks on the Churches. It is insecurity for everyone.

The opposing political parties in Nigeria has criticized Nigeria’s government for failing to announce the strike against armed groups in the country’s northwest before the news was made public by Trump. Nigerians were notified of the American strike on terrorists’ assets through the verified social media pages of President Trump and other American officials before the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a vague statement many hours later, offering a passive confirmation of the knowledge and cooperation of the Nigerian government in the operation.

While international cooperation in the fight against high crimes like terrorism is very much appreciated, the opposition parties are deeply concerned about a communication structure where foreign powers break the news of security operations in our country before our government does. Some concerned citizens in Nigeria has welcomed the US strike in North-Western Nigeria, calling it a “relief”. This is a great sigh of relief to Nigerians because people can now go to their farms, children can return to their schools and Nigerians can now travel freely without the fear of being abducted on the highways.

To crown it all, Christians in Nigeria celebrated the Christmas and New Year celebrations with relative peace. Since that historic attack on the groups, the news of killings and banditry have reduced drastically. Well-meaning Nigerians and leaders have also called on the Nigerian army and other security agencies to stay vigilant because armed groups could relocate due to the US operation.

God Bless Nigeria!!!