President Donald Trump and his administration are adding pressure on Nigerian officials following reports of Christian persecution in the West African country. President Trump said he is now considering putting a halt to aid since the government has “done nothing” to stop the killings.

"I’m really angry about it," the president told Fox News Radio on Friday. "What’s happening in Nigeria is a disgrace."

The president’s Department of War, previously known as the Department of Defense, Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly met with Nigerian National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu last week, Fox News reports, but officials continue to push back on the accusations.

"Hegseth emphasized the need for Nigeria to demonstrate commitment and take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians and conveyed the Department’s desire to work by, with, and through Nigeria to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States," the Pentagon told the national outlet in a statement.

Earlier in November, Nigerian leaders also pushed back on Trump’s call to prepare the military for an operation in Nigeria.

As Premier Christian News previously reported, a spokesperson for Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said that the U.S. could not “unilaterally carry out” a military operation in the country

In October, Texas Senator Ted Cruz introduced a bill in Congress to combat Christian persecution in Nigeria, titled the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025.” Cruz said he intended to hold officials accountable following reports that leaders were enabling Islamist jihadist violence and enforcing blasphemy laws. 

According to Cruz, extremist groups and armed militias have killed more than 52,000 Christians across the country. In addition, more than 20,000 churches, seminaries, and Christian-based institutions have been destroyed in the country, where the population of over 220 million people is roughly split evenly between Christians and Muslims.