US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States could deploy troops to Nigeria or carry out airstrikes to stop the alleged targeted killing of Christians in the West African country.

Aboard Air Force One, when asked by reporters if he envisioned US military action in Nigeria Trump replied, "could be."

"I envisage a lot of things. They're killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria ... They're killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We're not going to allow that to happen," the US president added.

Why did Trump say about Nigeria?

Trump's comment follows a social media post on Saturday in which he threatened to take action against Nigeria if it "continues to allow the killing of Christians." 

"The US will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, 'guns-a-blazing,' to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities," Trump warned on his Truth Social platform. 

He further directed the Department of Defense, which Trump has rebranded as the Department of War, to prepare for possible action. "If we attack,  it will be fast, vicious and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!"

On Friday, the Trump administration reinstated Nigeria on its list of “Countries of Particular Concern,” citing restrictions on religious freedom.

The White House has not provided any evidence that Christians were being targeted any more than other ethnic or religious group. Nigeria also denies the claim.

Other countries on the list include Pakistan, China, Myanmar, North Korea and Russia.

How has Nigeria responded to Trump's threats?

Nigeria has downplayed Trump's threat of military action, but clarified that any help from the US to fight militants would have to respect the West African nation's sovereignty.

In a statement on X, Daniel Bwala, spokesperson for Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, reminded the United States that Nigeria is a sovereign nation.

"It would not be diplomatically appropriate for the United States to take unilateral action without engagement and consent from the Nigerian government," the statement read.

In remarks to AFP, Bwala said Nigeria was not treating Trump's social media post literally.

"We know that Donald Trump has his own style of communication," he said.

What do we know about the Chrsitian population in Nigeria?

The West African state's population of over 220 million is almost equally divided between Muslims and Christians.

Islamist militant groups, such as Boko Haram, have been conducting attacks in the country for some 15 years, but most of their victims are Muslims living in the north, where the majority of the attacks occur.

Nigeria also witnesses other incidents of violence rooted in communal and ethnic conflicts and fights over scarce land and water resources.

Edited by: Karl Sexton