Trump Shifts Stance: Admits Muslims Also Victims of Nigeria Killings, But Insists Christians Bear Brunt
By Our Correspondent
In a significant shift from his earlier rhetoric, United States President Donald Trump has, for the first time, publicly acknowledged that Muslims are among the victims of relentless killings in Nigeria’s security crisis.
However, the outspoken American leader doubled down on his claim that Christians remain the primary targets of the violence plaguing the North-East and other regions.
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Trump’s remarks came during an exclusive interview with The New York Times, where he addressed Nigeria’s deepening insecurity amid ongoing attacks by terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” Trump stated bluntly, marking a departure from his previous statements that had zeroed in exclusively on assaults against Christian communities.
The comment follows a string of devastating incidents, including the bloody Christmas Day attacks last month, which claimed dozens of lives across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.
According to data from the Nigeria Security Tracker, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations – over 2,500 deaths were recorded in Nigeria’s insurgency zones in 2025 alone, with civilians from both Muslim and Christian backgrounds bearing the brunt.
Trump’s fixation on Nigeria’s religious violence dates back to his designation of the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) earlier this year.
In fiery speeches, he warned of an “existential threat” to Christianity in Nigeria, accusing the federal government of failing to protect its Christian minority.
He even floated the idea of U.S. military intervention, declaring Nigeria’s security apparatus “inadequate.”This stance drew sharp rebukes from Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu’s administration swiftly dispatched a high-powered delegation, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to Washington in October 2025.
The team, which included security chiefs and religious leaders, presented data showing that Boko Haram and ISWAP, both Islamist extremists, have killed far more Muslims than Christians in their decade-long rampage.
“The insurgents target anyone in their path, Muslim or Christian,” Tuggar told reporters post-meeting.
Subsequently, senior U.S. officials, including envoys from the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, visited Nigeria in December for on-the-ground assessments.
Their findings, leaked to Premium Times, corroborated Nigerian claims: ISWAP alone accounted for over 1,200 civilian deaths in 2025, predominantly in Muslim-majority villages.
Pressed on reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which estimate that 80% of Boko Haram/ISWAP victims are Muslim civilians, Trump was unyielding.
“Muslims are affected, sure, but Christians are the main victims,” he retorted in the NYT interview.
He escalated his rhetoric on the Christmas attacks, hinting at potential U.S. action: “I’d love to make it a one-time strike… But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”Investigations by The Punch reveal Trump’s comments align with advocacy from U.S.-based Christian groups like the Family Research Council, which have lobbied heavily on Nigeria.
However, analysts question the narrative. “While Christians have suffered, Plateau and Benue states report over 500 farmer-herder clashes last year, the data shows insurgents kill more Muslims in suicide bombings and raids,” said Kabiru Adamu, a security expert at Beacon Security Systems.
