U.S. Warns Nigeria Over Escalating Insecurity
The United States has increased diplomatic pressure on Nigeria following a series of violent attacks and mass abductions recorded between November 17 and 22, 2025, warning that continued instability could affect future American assistance.
The tension heightened after U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview on Fox News Radio on Friday, November 21, 2025, criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for what he described as insufficient action to stop the rising wave of killings and kidnappings. Trump said the security situation in Nigeria was “a disgrace” and suggested that Washington could reconsider Nigeria’s aid package if the violence persists.
His remarks coincided with a meeting held earlier in the week between U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in Washington. The Pentagon, in a statement issued on Thursday, November 20, 2025, confirmed that Hegseth urged Nigeria to demonstrate “urgent and enduring” action against armed groups responsible for attacks in the Country’s Northern corridor.
Nigerian officials, however, dismissed suggestions that the Government has been passive, insisting that security operations have been intensified.
Also on Thursday, November 20, 2025, Jonathan Pratt, head of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, briefed Congress, explaining that any U.S. involvement would form part of a broader security, policing, and economic framework.
The heightened U.S. scrutiny follows a particularly violent week in Nigeria, with multiple attacks reported:
On Monday, November 17, 2025, gunmen abducted 25 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.
In the early hours of Friday, November 21, 2025, over 300 students were kidnapped from St Mary’s Girls’ School, Papiri, Agwara LGA of Niger State.
On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, armed attackers invaded Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, Eruku town in Kwara State, killing five worshippers and abducting several others.
Eyewitnesses from the Kwara incident confirmed that masked gunmen stormed the church during a service, opened fire, and escaped with kidnapped worshippers through nearby bush paths.
The wave of attacks and the rising number of displaced families have prompted Washington to reassess Nigeria’s security response. With Trump’s comments now circulating widely through international media sources—including Fox News, Pentagon briefings, and U.S. Congressional hearings, Nigeria may face new diplomatic pressure to demonstrate measurable progress in tackling its deepening security challenges.
