The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to collaborate with President Bola Tinubu in tackling insecurity in Nigeria, rather than threatening the country with military intervention.
PFN President, Wale Oke, made the appeal during an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Brief.
“Whatever needs to be done should be done to stop the killings. The life of every Nigerian is precious, and the targeted attacks against the church should stop. If the President [Bola Tinubu] wants to ask for training in counter-terrorism, or wherever they know that America has expertise, let them ask for it,” the cleric said on Thursday’s edition of the show.
“For us, we do not want an American invasion of Nigeria. We want Donald Trump to work with our President and to hold our President accountable to stop the targeted killing and kidnapping of our members. That is what we want.”
His remarks followed President Trump’s recent threat to launch military action in Nigeria over what he described as the mass killing of Christians.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, accused the Nigerian government of failing to curb attacks targeting Christians, declaring the country a “country of particular concern.”
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’ But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!” he said.
A day later, Trump announced that he had directed the U.S. Department of War to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria.
“If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!” he declared.
In response, the Federal Government dismissed the allegations of Christian genocide, describing them as “false, baseless, and divisive.”
“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is inaccurate and harmful,” the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said.
The government also reiterated that security agencies were making progress in addressing insecurity and expressed openness to international cooperation.
Reiterating PFN’s stance, Oke urged the government to end the widespread killings across the country.
“We don’t want revenge, like I said. But we want an end to killings,” said the founder and presiding bishop of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries International.
“We want every Nigerian, whether Muslims or Christians, to be able to live freely, work freely, and practice their religion freely anywhere in Nigeria.”