In one of the strongest messages yet from Washington to Abuja, U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth has explicitly demanded that Nigeria take “urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians”.
He made the the call on December 20, during a high-level security meeting with Nigeria’s delegation , led by the National Security Advisor, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, at the Pentagon on Thursday.
This information was obtained from official U.S. government websites that use the .gov domain, an official source of the United States Government.”
According to the readout delivered by assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs, Sean Parnell, the U.S. used the closed-door session to press Nigeria for tangible, measurable steps to end the persistent wave of killings, abductions, and terror attacks targeting Christian communities across the country, an issue Washington now appears poised to elevate to the center of its Africa security agenda.
In unusually blunt language for a diplomatic meeting, Hegseth underscored that Nigeria must “demonstrate commitment” to protecting its Christian population and made clear that the U.S. expects immediate progress.
The Secretary also stressed that America stands ready to work “by, with, and through” Nigeria to degrade the jihadist networks and violent extremist groups destabilising West Africa and threatening broader U.S. interests.
The meeting signals what sources describe as a new phase in U.S.–Nigeria security relations, one defined by a sharper focus on religiously motivated violence, accountability, and counterterrorism performance, not just military cooperation on paper.
LEADERSHIP Weekend reports that Ribadu’s visit comes at a time when pressure is mounting on the Nigerian government from global human-rights organisations, the U.S. Congress, and Christian advocacy groups who argue that years of killings in the Middle Belt, Northwest, and Northeast have gone unanswered.
Washington’s new posture, according to security experts, direct, forceful, and publicly on record , suggests that the President Donald Trump’s administration may be prepared to tie future security cooperation to Nigeria’s willingness to act decisively.
For many observers, Hegseth’s statement marks a diplomatic turning point, as America is no longer speaking in generalities but demanding results.
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