The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has pressed the Nigerian government to take firmer steps to stem escalating violence against Christian communities, warning that Washington expects tangible action against extremist groups operating in the country.
Hegseth raised the concerns during a meeting on Thursday with Nigeria’s national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, at the Pentagon. According to US officials, the talks focused heavily on what the defence secretary described as “horrific violence” targeting Christians across parts of Nigeria.
In a post on X on Friday, Hegseth said he had met Ribadu and his team “to discuss the horrific violence against Christians in their country”, adding that under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the Department of War – the rebranded defence department – was “working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists”.
A Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnell, said Hegseth urged Abuja to take “both urgent and enduring action” to halt attacks, stressing that Washington was seeking deeper security cooperation to “deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States”.
The meeting came shortly after Trump warned that Christianity faced “an existential threat” in Nigeria and suggested the US could deploy military forces if Abuja failed to stop the killings – comments that have drawn sharp criticism from Nigerian officials.
On Wednesday, US congressman Riley Moore also confirmed separate talks with the Nigerian delegation in Washington, describing them as “frank, honest, and productive”. He said discussions centred on counterterrorism efforts, security assistance and the protection of vulnerable communities.
The high-level Nigerian delegation included Bianca Ojukwu, minister of state for foreign affairs; Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector general of police; Lateef Fagbemi, the attorney general; Gen Olufemi Olatunbosun Oluyede, the chief of defence staff; and Lt Gen Emmanuel Undiendeye, the chief of defence intelligence, among other senior officials.
