Ribadu Meets U.S. Secretary Of War Over Alleged Christian Genocide

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has met with Nigeria’s National Security Advisor, Nuhu Ribadu, and his delegation at the Pentagon to address what the Trump administration describes as “horrific violence” targeting Christians in Nigeria, primarily by jihadist terrorist groups.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) from his handle @SecWar, Hegseth stated: “Yesterday, I met with Nigeria’s National Security Advisor and his team to discuss the horrific violence against Christians in their country. Under @POTUS leadership, DOW is working aggressively with Nigeria to end the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists.”

The post included photos of the meeting, showing handshakes and discussions.

The encounter comes amid heightened U.S. scrutiny of Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly in the north and Middle Belt regions, where groups like Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and armed Fulani militants have been accused of carrying out attacks.

Advocacy organizations such as Open Doors and the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law report thousands of Christian deaths annually, with estimates of over 7,000 killed in the first seven months of 2025 alone, averaging more than 30 per day. These figures include massacres, abductions, and church burnings, often in rural farming communities.

The meeting follows President Donald Trump’s recent threats of potential U.S. military intervention if Nigeria fails to curb the violence, including warnings to deploy forces “guns-a-blazing” against Islamist militants.

Trump has redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations earlier this year, reversing a Biden-era decision, and tied U.S. aid to progress on protecting religious minorities.

Hegseth, who assumed office in January 2025 after a controversial Senate confirmation, has embraced a more assertive posture in his role.

Notably, he refers to himself as “Secretary of War” and the Pentagon as the “Department of War” (DOW), a pre-1949 naming convention revived informally via executive order, though legal experts note that only Congress can officially change the department’s title from Defense to War.

Nigerian officials, including President Bola Tinubu, reject claims of systematic anti-Christian persecution, attributing much of the violence to broader insurgencies, banditry, and farmer-herder clashes that affect both Muslims and Christians.

The Ribadu visit was not publicly scheduled and occurred alongside separate engagements with U.S. lawmakers pushing for sanctions and arms sale restrictions.