The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has appealed to US President Donald Trump to collaborate with President Bola Tinubu in addressing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, rather than threatening military intervention.
PFN President Bishop Wale Oke made the call on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, The Morning Brief.
“Whatever needs to be done should be done to stop the killings. The life of every Nigerian is precious, and the targeted attacks against the church should stop. If the President [Bola Tinubu] wants to ask for training in counter-terrorism, or wherever they know that America has expertise, let them ask for it,” Bishop Oke said.
“For us, we do not want an American invasion of Nigeria. We want Donald Trump to work with our President and to hold our President accountable to stop the targeted killing and kidnapping of our members. That is what we want,” he added.
His comments follow President Trump’s recent warning that the United States could take “fast, vicious, and sweet” military action in Nigeria over what he described as the “mass slaughter” of Christians by radical Islamists.
In a post shared on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that Christianity was facing an existential threat in Nigeria, calling the country a “country of particular concern.”
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
A day later, the US President ordered the Department of War to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria, saying, “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!”
FG Denies Genocide Claims
In response, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, rejected Trump’s assertions, describing them as “false, baseless, and divisive.”
“Portraying Nigeria’s security challenges as a targeted campaign against a single religious group is inaccurate and harmful,” Idris said, adding that the Tinubu administration was working to strengthen security and was open to international support where necessary.
PFN Calls for End to Killings
Bishop Oke, while condemning the violence, emphasized that Nigeria needed peace and unity, not foreign invasion or retaliation.
“We don’t want revenge, like I said. But we want an end to killings,” he said. “We want every Nigerian, whether Muslim or Christian, to be able to live freely, work freely, and practice their religion freely anywhere in Nigeria.”
What You Should Know
The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), led by Bishop Wale Oke, has urged US President Donald Trump to collaborate with President Bola Tinubu in combating insecurity rather than threatening military intervention.
Trump recently accused Nigeria of “mass slaughter” of Christians and threatened military action.
The Federal Government dismissed his claims as false, stressing that insecurity in the country affects all citizens regardless of religion.
