The United States President President Donald Trump has shifted his focus on insecurity in Nigeria, admitting that Muslims are also victims of killings in Nigeria.
President Trump has hitherto consistently claimed that Christians are being targeted in attacks.
In an interview with New York Times, Trump admitted that not a single religion is being affected, but even at that, he claimed that Christians were the major victims.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” New York Times quoted him to have said.
On the Christmas Day attack on terror targets in Nigeria, Trump said there could be more strikes by the U.S.
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike … But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike,” Trump was quoted as saying.
When asked about his own Africa adviser having said that Islamic State and Boko Haram militants were killing more Muslims than Christians, Trump responded: “I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians.”
Trump, in late October, began warning that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened to militarily intervene in the West African country over what he says is its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities.
Trump had redesignated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern and accused the government of being weak to protect lives.
However, the Federal Government later sent a high-powered delegation to the US to highlight Nigeria’s security situation.
After the visit, top American officials also visited Nigeria to get first-hand accounts of the situation.
