.…Target Visa Ban, Asset Freeze For Miyetti Allah
…..Benue monarch urges Trump to expedite action
….Chinese Govt Oppose Foreign Interference
….vows to support Nigeria’s Fight Against Terrorism
…We’re Determined To Defeat Terrorism — Tinubu
It has emerged that the United States of America, USA, military has designed plans for intervention in Nigeria. This is coming after President Donald Trump alleged that “Christian genocide” was happening in Nigeria, and the US would invade to take care of the terrorists.
In Trump’s words: “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
He then ordered the military to prepare a plan.
The Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, quickly responded, “Yes, Sir,” and then directed the Africa Command to send plans for possible strikes.
Officials at the command, which is based in Stuttgart, Germany, sent options to Washington. The new AFRICOM commander, Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, has a previously scheduled trip to Nigeria next month.
Three defense officials said the plans from the command had three options — light, medium and heavy — and were intended to be escalatory.
Option 1
The light option, the officials said, included what the military called partner-enabled operations.
Under that option, the U.S. military and the State Department would support government forces in Nigeria to target Boko Haram and other Islamic insurgents who have attacked, kidnapped and murdered civilians, mostly in northern Nigeria, where sectarian and ethnic violence has raged for almost 20 years.
The United States would have to conduct these operations without the expertise of the U.S. Agency for International Development, whose office in Abuja, the capital, officially closed in July, after the Trump administration shuttered the agency.
But that action would come with a host of issues, the thorniest being that the violence in the northern Nigerian Sahel falls along linguistic, cultural and religious lines.
Much of it is based on land use and tenure and is fomented in some cases by corruption in the Nigerian government.
Farmers and herders in the region have battled one another over land use for decades, and militant Islamic groups have taken advantage of the distrust to push their own agenda.
Option 2
The medium option being put forward by Africa Command, officials said, includes drone strikes on militant camps, bases, convoys and vehicles in northern Nigeria.
American Predator and Reaper drones can loiter for hours before striking, and other U.S. intelligence can gather information on specific targets’ pattern of life.
But that option comes with its own issues, not least being that the U.S. military in August vacated its two nearest drone bases, in Agadez and Niamey, both in neighboring Niger. Russian forces now occupy those bases.
Drones launched from Niamey or Agadez could reach Nigeria in an hour, one military official said. But now, the closest known places from which the United States could launch drones are southern Europe and perhaps Djibouti, in East Africa, where the U.S. military has a large base.
U.S. troops at an air base in Agadez, Niger, in 2018. The United States vacated its drone base in the city in August.
One official suggested that West African countries seeking favor with the Trump administration might allow their territories to be used, but that is less clear. Doing so would also go against the wishes of the Nigerian government, which is hugely influential on the continent, and could open up another set of problems for neighboring countries.
The Nigerian government has said it welcomes U.S. assistance in targeting Islamist insurgents but added the caveat that any action must respect Nigeria’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity.
The medium option being put forward by Africa Command, officials said, includes drone strikes on militant camps, bases, convoys and vehicles in northern Nigeria.
American Predator and Reaper drones can loiter for hours before striking, and other
Option 3
The heavy option, military officials said, would be to move an aircraft carrier group into the Gulf of Guinea and to deploy fighters and perhaps long-range bombers to conduct strikes deep in northern Nigeria.
However, the United States is already in the process of moving one of its aircraft carriers, the Gerald R. Ford, from its deployment in Europe to the southern Caribbean, where Mr. Trump has declared war on drug cartels.
Other aircraft carriers are currently deployed in the Pacific or in the Middle East or are undergoing maintenance.
Deploying an American aircraft carrier to the Gulf of Guinea to take on Islamic insurgents in Nigeria was not deemed to be a 2025 national security priority as recently as Friday, several military officials said.
Americans react
The American military cannot do much to quell the violence unless it is willing to start an Iraq- or Afghanistan-style campaign, the officials said, something that no one appears to be seriously contemplating.
But they said there were some steps available to American war planners that could have limited impact on the militants.
Militant groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have targeted Christians in Nigeria, along with many Muslims accused of not being devout enough. Any major military operation by the United States would be likely to fail, current and former military officials said.
“It would be a fiasco,” said Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton, a retired Army veteran of the war in Iraq and U.S. efforts to counter the insurgency there.
The American public had not shown much interest in repeating the Iraq- or Afghanistan-style military campaigns in Nigeria, he noted. Nor had the president, beyond his recent social media posts.
Any potential effort by Mr. Trump to direct the military to target Nigerian insurgents through his preferred method — airstrikes — would be likely to cause shock and awe but not much more, military officials said.
General Eaton likened such an effort to “pounding a pillow.”
Current and former military and national security officials, including those with experience fighting Islamic militant groups in West and Central Africa, said Mr. Trump’s latest directive had left them stumped.
Boko Haram has attacked, kidnapped and killed both Christians and Muslims. Previous American governments provided Nigeria with intelligence and security to help target the group but balked at selling some weapons because of concerns over human rights abuses by the Nigerian military.
Targets Visa Ban, Asset Freeze For Miyetti Allah Over Christian Persecution Claims
A new bill introduced in the US Congress has proposed targeted sanctions and other restrictive measures against individuals and groups accused of serious violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.
The legislation specifically named the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore as entities implicated in such abuses.
The bill introduced by Smith Christopher, member of the house of representatives, proposed sanctions on members of the groups including visa restrictions and asset freezes.
He presented the bill on Tuesday while commending US President Donald Trump for re-designating Nigeria a country of particular concern (CPC).
“President Donald J. Trump acted appropriately and decisively to redesignate Nigeria as a CPC and hold the Nigerian government accountable for its complicity in religious persecution by radical Islamists, such as Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists,” Christopher said.
In the bill, Christopher noted that the US has also placed “Fulani Ethnic Militias” operating in Benue and Plateau States on its Entities of Particular Concern (EPC) list under the International Religious Freedom Act.
Entities of Particular Concern (EPCs) are non-state actors that have committed especially severe violations of religious freedom under U.S. law.
Christopher’s bill also suggested that the US should provide immediate humanitarian assistance directly to faith-based groups to support internally displaced people in Nigeria’s middle belt states.
The bill also called for conditioning US foreign assistance, including funding through global health programs, on immediate actions to address religious freedom violations.
It urged the development of long-term strategies to promote peace and stability, including requiring the Nigerian government to take swift and effective measures to prevent religious persecution, prosecute those responsible for violence, provide support for millions of internally displaced persons, and uphold constitutional protections for religious freedom.
Christopher’s bill was introduced on the same day that US Senator Ted Cruz announced his commitment to holding Nigerian officials accountable over allegations of genocide against Christians.
Cruz is championing the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a bill designed to protect Christians and other religious minorities from widespread persecution in Nigeria.
After the CPC designation, Trump also warned of possible military action in Nigeria if its leaders failed to protect Christians in the country.
Benue monarch urges Trump to expedite action on military threat
Meanwhile, Traditional ruler of Yelwata community in Benue State, HRH Kumaga Jor, has backed moves by United States President, Donald Trump, to end alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria.
Salient Times reports that about 200 persons were massacred when suspected Fulani gunmen invaded Yelwata in June 2025.
Jor welcomed Trump’s ‘US military action threat’ while speaking with journalists in Makurdi on Thursday.
He concurred with Trump that there is ongoing killing of Christians in Nigeria.
According to him, “the attack on his domain as well as other attacks in Benue State were carried out by Muslim terrorists”.
Jor appreciated the US President for coming to the aid of Christians in Nigeria and urged him to expedite action.
According to him, “the situation remains dire as killings go on almost daily with many villages sacked and occupied by the terrorists”.
He expressed sadness that original inhabitants are now taking refuge in Internally Displaced Persons ,IDPs, camps across Benue State.
We Support Nigeria’s Fight Against Terrorism, Oppose Foreign Interference — Chinese Ambassador
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, says the country will support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism but faulted the interference of foreigners.
Dunhai, in a post on his X handle, pledged the support of the Asian country to Nigeria’s battle against insurgency following a meeting with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
“As a comprehensive strategic partner of Nigeria, China firmly supports the Nigerian government in leading its people to a development path that fits Nigeria’s national realities,” the Chinese ambassador wrote on Thursday.
“We oppose any country’s interference in other countries’ internal affairs under the pretext of religion and human rights. We oppose the wanton threat of sanction and use of force.
“China is willing to continue supporting Nigeria in combating terrorism and maintaining domestic stability.”
Great to meet with Mr. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu @NuhuRibadu, National Security Advisor of Nigeria.
Since President Tinubu’s attendance at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and his state visit to China last year, practical cooperation between our two… pic.twitter.com/OFNktyFqLR
— Yu Dunhai (@YDunhai) November 6, 2025
President Donald Trump of the US had last week asked the Pentagon to map out a possible plan of attack in Nigeria, one day after warning that Christianity was “facing an existential threat” in Africa’s most populous country.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president said the United States will attack and “it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians.”
Despite the Nigerian government denying such claims, suggesting a meeting to resolve the issue, Trump doubled-down on his threat a day later.
When Trump was asked if he was considering US troops on the ground in Nigeria or air strikes, he replied: “Could be, I mean, a lot of things — I envisage a lot of things.” “They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen”.
We’re Determined To Defeat Terrorism — Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has pledged his administration’s resolve to deepen global engagement and intensify the fight against terrorism and criminality.
The President spoke shortly after an economic briefing by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who reported during the Federal Executive Council meeting on Thursday that the administration’s reform agenda continues to stimulate investor confidence and deliver notable economic gains
According to the President, the government remains firmly committed to moving the country forward under the Renewed Hope Agenda, despite prevailing political and security pressures.
He also acknowledged the scale of the security and economic challenges confronting the nation.
“The task ahead is immense. But we are resolved to move forward with unity and purpose, to defeat terrorism and build a prosperous, inclusive, and resilient Nigeria,” he said.
‘Global Faith In Nigeria’
Meanwhile, President Tinubu said the Eurobond’s oversubscription, despite political anxieties, underlined global faith in Nigeria’s fundamentals.
“Despite the political headwinds and fears, our partners have continued to engage with confidence,” he said.
Edun had expressed gratitude to the President and cabinet members for their support during his recent illness, explaining that the ongoing reforms, though challenging, were driven by a clear objective to build a competitive economy that creates jobs and lifts millions out of poverty.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.23 per cent in Q2 2025, the strongest expansion in a decade outside the post-COVID-19 rebound.
He said 13 sectors expanded by more than seven per cent, up from nine in the previous quarter, evidence of broad-based resilience.
He noted that the industrial sector nearly doubled its growth from 3.72 per cent to 7.45 per cent, reflecting rising productivity and renewed investor interest.
Minister Highlights Achievements
Speaking further, Edun said inflation declined to 18 per cent last December, while foreign reserves exceeded $43 billion, and the trade surplus climbed to N7.4 trillion, signalling strengthened external buffers.
According to him, the new consumer-spending data showed Nigerians now spend about half of their income on basic needs, compared with nearly 90 per cent previously, indicating a gradual transition from subsistence to improved living standards and enhanced productivity.
He further described Nigeria’s recent removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list as a major confidence boost for the financial sector, noting that global institutions, including the IMF and World Bank, had acknowledged the country’s reform momentum through upgraded growth projections and improved credit ratings.
The minister also cited Tuesday’s €2.35 billion Eurobond issuance, which attracted over $13 billion in investor orders, as a testament to strong global confidence in Nigeria’s economic trajectory and the President’s leadership.
He stressed the need to mobilise greater domestic and foreign investment to achieve the administration’s target of a $1 trillion economy by 2030, noting that growth must reach seven per cent annually by 2027.
He expressed optimism that the next phase of reforms would focus on removing investment bottlenecks, reviewing tariffs and import restrictions, strengthening fiscal reporting, and optimising asset management.
The coordinating minister urged ministers overseeing sectors such as infrastructure, mining, health, education, agriculture and the blue economy to work with state governments to identify and package investment-ready projects capable of attracting large-scale private capital.
Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, announced the passing of a former minister and senator, Solomon Ewuga, describing him as an accomplished leader dedicated to national development.
Ewuga served as Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State in 1999 before becoming Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, and later represented Nasarawa North in the Senate.
He died on September 23 in Egypt at age 70.
Akume also informed the Council of the death of former Chief of Staff, General Mohammed Abdullahi, who served under President Olusegun Obasanjo and was a former military governor of Benue-Plateau State, as well as pioneer Director-General of the Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO).
Council members observed a minute’s silence in honour of the deceased.
