Just hours after President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern for its worsening record on religious freedom, Islamic Fulani militants struck again — killing at least 17 Christians in a pair of coordinated overnight assaults on the Plateau–Kaduna border. In a forceful statement, Trump condemned what he called “horrible atrocities” and warned that the U.S. would halt aid — and possibly take military action — if Nigeria’s government fails to act. “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians,” he wrote, “the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance… and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists.”

The attacks, which occurred in the farming village of Kwi and nearby Damakasuwa, left entire families dead and churches in ashes. Witnesses said armed Fulani herders surrounded communities at night, opening fire without warning. Among those killed was Bala Rudeh, a respected youth leader known for advocating peace between Christian tribes. International Christian Concern called the assaults “part of a coordinated campaign of anti-Christian violence” that has claimed over 4,000 lives in Nigeria this year alone. Local officials have yet to respond, but survivors describe the raids as “Black Friday,” pleading for protection. Trump’s CPC declaration — reversing President Biden’s 2021 removal of Nigeria from the list — signals renewed U.S. attention to what many human rights groups now call a Christian genocide.

SOURCE: ICC