Trump threatens Nigeria with potential military action, escalates claim of Christian persecution

U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria. The warning posted Saturday on social media was an escalation of his allegations that the government is failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the West African country. The threat came after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pushed back against Trump's designation of Nigeria as a "country of particular concern" for alleged persecution of Christians. On Saturday, Tinubu stated that Nigeria values religious freedom and opposes persecution. Trump, in a social media post on Friday, claimed Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria due to radical Islamists.