Trump orders Pentagon to protect Nigerian Christians targeted by ISIS Hegseth lMBF, Afenifere concur
By Dapo Akinrefon, Nkiruka Nnorom, Peter Duru & Favour Ulebor
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF, yesterday accused some police and army officers of colluding with Fulani militias in deadly attacks and mass abductions targeting religious communities across Nigeria.
It also urged US Congress to bar individuals lobbying on behalf of foreign governments Washington had blacklisted for severe religious freedom violations from receiving payment for such services.
This is even as US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, revealed yesterday that President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to prioritize Nigerian Christians targeted by ISIS, adding that the directive quietly led to the killing of ISIS’ second in command in Nigeria.
“There’s a lot of things we do that the media pays attention to, and a lot of things that the president empowers the department to do on behalf of the American people, that he deserves great credit for,’’ he said.
In a May 2026 report, titled “Non state Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants”, the US commission further stated that the Nigerian government censorship had hindered accurate analysis of the identities and motivations of the armed groups violating religious freedom.