Group faults Trump’s military threat on Nigeria

…says conflict in the Middle Belt misrepresented as Christian genocide

The African Sociocultural Harmony and Enlightenment (ASHE) Foundation has described the reported threat by United States President Donald Trump to intervene militarily in Nigeria as an attempt to recolonise the country under the guise of preventing a Christian genocide.

In a statement signed by its President, Prince Justice Faloye, and made available to newsmen on Sunday, the group said the move reflected a continuation of long-standing global struggles for control over African resources.

ASHE stated that the threat of invasion masked a deeper clash between “European Abrahamic crusaders and Afro-Asiatic Abrahamic jihadists” vying for influence in Nigeria.

The Foundation said the ongoing conflict in the Middle Belt, often referred to as a Christian genocide, had been misrepresented through a purely religious lens. It noted that the crisis could have been mitigated if the government had implemented restructuring and introduced State Police to address insecurity and ethnic violence.

According to the group, President Trump’s stance mirrors “a recolonization strategy akin to the 19th-century scramble for Africa,” linking it to global competition involving Russia’s growing influence in the Sahel and Western powers’ efforts to secure strategic ground in Nigeria.

ASHE added that while some see Trump’s criticism of Northern Nigeria’s Islamic leadership as a response to their reluctance to support Western interventions in Muslim nations, it reflected a broader power struggle between Christian and Muslim civilizations for African land and resources.

The group cited recent violence in which “Afroasiatic herdsmen have targeted indigenous African Muslims as well as Christians,” claiming the attacks aimed to suppress local populations and seize their lands.

ASHE also questioned the scale of the new U.S. Embassy complex in Lagos, comparing it to “a foreign military base,” and queried why such a massive facility was located outside the nation’s capital.

The Foundation accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of colluding with foreign powers “that allegedly imported Islamic terrorists to destabilize the previous government and gain power.”

It condemned Western countries for “arming terrorists to weaken African governments while presenting themselves as rescuers,” warning that failure to restructure and create State Police could expose Nigeria to more external interference and domestic unrest.

The group cautioned that any U.S. invasion would result in large-scale casualties, deepen ethnic and religious divisions, and even trigger racial tensions within the United States “given the deep Nigerian heritage of African Americans.”

ASHE Foundation called on Nigerians to defend the country’s sovereignty by supporting restructuring and the establishment of State Police. It urged citizens to unite, resist manipulation by global powers, and back reforms that promote peace and protect the nation’s future.

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