By Prosper Olayiwola
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given a firm assurance of ongoing preparations to carry out the order of President Donald Trump in the event of perceptions on further religiously motivated killings.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) Hegseth said in part, “Yes sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. 
The Department of War is preparing for action.” The post went on to frame the choice as between Nigerian government protection of Christians or U.S. military action against “Islamic terrorists” believed to be responsible. The defense chief’s response was widely circulated on X and picked up by several news sites.
Meanwhile, Abuja immediately rejected the characterisation that the Nigerian state tolerates targeted attacks on Christians. The presidency dismissed the claims and insisted Nigeria remains committed to protecting citizens of all faiths.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga in a post on Sunday morning hailed President Bola Tinubu political craftsmanship saying he had already moved to strengthen the security leadership — pointing to his recent overhaul of the service chiefs as proof that his administration is “ahead of the game.”
In his post, he said:
President Bola Tinubu was well ahead of the orchestrated game unfolding in America as he told the new service chiefs on Thursday what Nigerians expect of them. No more excuses, he said. Nigerians
