National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu
Nuhu Ribadu Meets U.S. Defense Chiefs as Trump Threatens Military Strike in Nigeria
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, held a high-level meeting on Thursday with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, amid escalating diplomatic tension triggered by Donald Trump’s threat of U.S. military action in Nigeria.
According to an ABC News report, two American defence officials confirmed the meeting, though it was kept off the public schedules of Hegseth and Caine. Ribadu’s arrival at the Pentagon was also conducted behind closed doors, highlighting the sensitivity surrounding the talks.
The closed-door engagement comes after former U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon earlier in November to prepare for rapid military intervention in Nigeria if the government failed to stop alleged anti-Christian killings. The renewed pressure has gained momentum among conservative lawmakers, including Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Riley Moore.
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In a fiery November 1 post, Trump warned:
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and… may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists.”
He further described any action as “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
Hegseth responded promptly, saying: “Yes sir… the Department of War is preparing for action.”
Nigeria has strongly rejected its re-designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), insisting that accusations of government-enabled religious persecution are false and based on misleading data.
Ribadu’s Pentagon meeting signals Abuja’s effort to minimise diplomatic fallout and push back against the heightened U.S. rhetoric while defending Nigeria’s position on its security and religious-freedom record.
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