By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Nigeria Steps Up Military Operations After Trump’s Threat Of U.S. Intervention
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat to launch military action against Nigeria over alleged religious persecution and terrorism concerns, Nigerian security forces have intensified counterterrorism operations across the country.
Trump had last week designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and warned that Washington might intervene militarily if the Nigerian government failed to curb killings allegedly targeting Christians.
His comments, viewed in Nigeria as provocative and neo-imperialist, have sparked a diplomatic row between both nations and triggered heated reactions at home and abroad.
In response, Nigeria’s military has launched a series of coordinated offensives against terrorist and bandit groups across several states. Checks on official army channels show multiple operations carried out within the past week aimed at reclaiming territories and neutralising insurgents.
In Benue State, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke foiled a kidnap attempt along the Zaki-Biam–Wukari road, rescuing ten victims, including a Warrant Officer, while two others remain missing.
In Borno, soldiers under Operation Hadin Kai repelled a Boko Haram and ISWAP drone attack on the Forward Operating Base in Mallam Fatori, killing six insurgents and recovering weapons, explosives, and drones.
In Kano, troops confronted bandits attempting to invade Shanono Local Government Area, killing 19 attackers in a fierce gun battle. Two soldiers and a vigilante, however, lost their lives in the encounter.
Elsewhere in Kogi State, the army rescued two kidnap victims and recovered ₦3.8 million ransom after engaging abductors along the Itobe–Adumu–Ejule axis.
Similarly, operations in Borno and Adamawa States led to the neutralisation of several terrorists and the recovery of weapons, smuggled fuel, and explosives.
Troops also raided criminal hideouts in Makurdi, Benue State, arresting seven suspected cultists and recovering firearms, ammunition, and charms.
Military sources confirmed that, within 48 hours, troops across the country rescued 17 kidnapped victims, arrested 20 suspects, and dismantled illegal oil refineries in the South-South region.
Amid these developments, Deputy Spokesperson of the League of African Ambassadors, John Usanga, urged Nigerians to focus less on religion and ethnicity and more on the real causes of violence, such as land seizure and forced displacement.
Speaking on Arise Television, he described the conflict as a guerrilla-style war that requires unconventional strategies, warning that large-scale attacks risk harming innocent civilians.
Usanga noted that while Nigeria’s military remains capable, the challenge lies in identifying and isolating insurgents who blend easily into local populations. He cautioned against external interference, stressing that resolving the crisis requires addressing its root causes and promoting unity rather than division.
Nigeria’s government has yet to formally respond to Trump’s remarks, but senior officials insist that the nation’s security forces are capable of defending its sovereignty and restoring peace without foreign intervention.
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