Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, met on Thursday with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, following President Donald Trump’s explosive threat to deploy American troops to Nigeria ‘guns-a-blazing’ to confront alleged anti-Christian violence.
According to ABC News, the meeting, confirmed by two U.S. defence officials, was not listed on either Hegseth or Caine’s public schedules.
Ribadu’s arrival at the Pentagon was also closed to the press, underscoring the sensitivity of the discussions.
The talks come after Trump, earlier in November, ordered the Pentagon to prepare for rapid military action in Nigeria if Abuja failed to curb killings of Christians.
The issue has gained significant traction within conservative political circles in the U.S. including support from lawmakers like Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Riley Moore.
In a 1 November post on his social media platform, Trump warned: ‘If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and… may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists’.
He added that any action would be ‘fast, vicious, and sweet’. In a swift reply, Hegseth wrote, ‘Yes sir… the Department of War is preparing for action’.
Nigeria has dismissed the renewed U.S. designation of the country as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’, calling the allegation that the government allows religious persecution “misinformation’ rooted in flawed data.
Ribadu’s meeting with top U.S. defence chiefs signals an attempt to ease diplomatic strain as Nigeria pushes back against Washington’s escalating rhetoric and potential security implications.
