Threat to invade Nigeria: Tinubu holds talks with Trump as IPOB celebrates US’ action
The presidency has announced that President Bola Tinubu will soon hold a meeting with his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, “in the coming days.”
According to Daniel Bwala, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, the meeting will focus on recent allegations of a Christian genocide in Nigeria, claims that have stirred diplomatic tension following Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.”
Bwala, in a post on X, said the two leaders share common ground on global security and counterterrorism efforts.
He wrote, “Both President @officialABAT and President @realDonaldTrump have shared interest in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity. Their meeting will provide an opportunity to clarify misconceptions, strengthen cooperation, and reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to religious freedom and peace.
“President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorizing the sale of arms to Nigeria and President Tinubu has adequately utilized the opportunity in the fight against terrorism for which we have massive results to show for it, the president’s media aide stated.
“As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or in fact all faiths and no faiths, the differences if they exist would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days, either in State House or White House,” Bwala added.
Trump had threatened possible military action against Nigeria to “wipe out” terrorists allegedly targeting Christians in the country.
He also warned that the U.S. could suspend all aid and assistance to Nigeria if the killings continued unchecked.
Responding to the development, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said both leaders remain strongly committed to combating insurgency and terrorism.
Bwala noted that Trump had previously supported Nigeria’s fight against terror by approving critical arms sales during his presidency support, he said, that President Tinubu’s administration has “adequately utilised” in ongoing counterterrorism operations.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has applauded the United States government’s decision to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, welcomed Nigeria’s redesignation, describing it as long overdue.
He recalled that a Canadian court had earlier classified Nigeria’s two dominant political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as terrorist organisations, citing their alleged roles in widespread violence and human rights abuses.
IPOB expressed gratitude to U.S. President Donald Trump for what it described as a “bold and historic decision,” calling it a moral victory for justice, truth, and the sanctity of human life.
The group also urged the U.S. government to launch a thorough investigation into alleged ethno-religious killings and human rights abuses in Nigeria, particularly in the South-East region.
According to IPOB, such an inquiry would expose the “systemic persecution” of its members and other minority groups, as well as the “complicity of the Nigerian state in the ongoing violence.”
“The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), under the able leadership of our supreme leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, warmly welcomes the recent designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by the government of the United States,” the statement read.
“This development comes on the heels of the Canadian court’s landmark designation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as terror-enabling organisations.
“The IPOB family extends profound gratitude to President Donald J. Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, and to all patriotic Biafrans and friends of Biafra in the United States who have relentlessly championed this noble cause. Their courageous advocacy has brought global attention to the evil of religious persecution, state-sponsored violence, and sectarian killings that have long plagued Nigeria, particularly targeting the Christian and Igbo populations,” IPOB spokesman said.
“This recognition is not merely symbolic; it represents a moral victory for justice, truth, and the sanctity of human life. By calling out the Nigerian state’s complicity in ethnic and religious violence, the international community has helped save countless lives that would otherwise have been lost to orchestrated insecurity and genocidal attacks,” Emma Powerful noted.
“However, IPOB insists that the work of the US government and the broader international community is far from complete. There remains an urgent need for an independent international inquiry into the root causes of persistent ethno-religious killings and insecurity in Igboland. Such an inquiry is essential to unmask the perpetrators, financiers, and political enablers behind these heinous acts, and to ensure that justice is done in accordance with international human rights law,” he said.
“We salute the unyielding courage and resilience of all Biafrans worldwide, especially the exceptional advocacy of American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Ambassadors for Self-Determination and Rising Sun, along with other advocates of liberty around the world who have continued to speak against tyranny, impunity, and the ongoing genocide against our people and Northern Nigeria Christian communities. History will remember your courage. Relief shall at last come to the people of the long suffering peoples of the Middle Belt region as a result of this designation,” the group stated.
“Once again, we commend all members of this great IPOB family for their unwavering determination in pursuit of freedom rooted in liberty for all. All of you played a part in this significant diplomatic milestone. Together, we have taken another step towards truth, justice, and the restoration of the dignity of all peoples trapped in this Lugardian contraption called Nigeria,” the statement ended.
Reports claim that investigation carried out by TheCable revealed that IPOB was behind the viral claims of an ongoing Christian genocide in Nigeria.
