The Presidency has dismissed a viral video claiming that United States troops have landed in Nigeria following military intervention threats by President Donald Trump.
The Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, while reacting on Friday to a video posted on X by @Italian_Spencer, wrote, “This is false!!!!”
The X user had captioned the video: “Breaking News: US Army lands in Bonny Island, Rivers State!! Donald Trump wasn’t playing around.”
The video, which had gathered over 1,300 comments as of the time of this report, shows a group of foreign military personnel in uniform and helmets standing beside what appeared to be inflatable boats on a riverbank at an undisclosed location.
The development comes amid Trump’s recent threats of possible military action in Nigeria.
Chronicle NG reports that Trump on Wednesday insisted that Christianity was facing an existential threat in Nigeria, citing alleged killings of Christians by radical Islamists.
In a video shared by the White House on Facebook, he officially announced Nigeria’s designation as a “country of particular concern,” a classification that permits US. intervention in cases of religious persecution.
Trump said the number of Christians killed in Nigeria was alarming compared to global figures and directed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole to investigate and report back to him.
He stressed that the US could not remain silent while Christians were being attacked, saying America was ready to defend Christian populations worldwide.
He said, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this man’s slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a country of particular concern. That’s a legal definition.
“When the Christians or any such group is slaughtered. Like it’s happening in Nigeria. 3,100 verses 4,476 worldwide. What horrible numbers. Something has to be done.
“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with chairman Tom Cole and the House of Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and to report back to me. And I mean like immediately. The United States can not stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other countries. It’s not only in Nigeria, it’s all over. We stand ready, willing and able to save our great Christian population around the world. This is not going to happen. The killing of Christians is not going to happen.”
Earlier, Trump, in a post on his Truth Social account a few days ago, instructed the U.S. War Department to prepare for possible actions in Nigeria.
He accused the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to what he described as the killings of Christians across the country.
Trump warned that the United States would immediately halt all aid and assistance to Nigeria if the attacks on Christians continue.
He also indicated that America might intervene militarily to eliminate what he called “Islamic terrorists” responsible for the killings.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote.
He further stated, “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. 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!”
