Former aviation minister Femi Fani‑Kayode has warned that Nigerians would resist any attempted U.S. invasion after President Donald Trump instructed the U.S. Department of War to prepare for possible military action against Nigeria.
In a post on X on Sunday, Fani‑Kayode described Trump as a “tyrant” and a “deranged & sociopathic meglomaniac,” accusing the U.S. president of threatening Nigeria with violence and invasion. He said a friend had shared concerns with him about Trump’s comments and argued that Nigeria should not be treated as subordinate by Western powers.
Responding to that friend, Fani‑Kayode wrote that Nigerians would not flee the country if the U.S. carried out its threat but would “stand their ground and fight.” He criticised what he called widespread “cowardice and complacency” among Nigerians in the face of foreign intimidation and said the crisis would expose the need for “bold, articulate and courageous leaders.”
The former minister also accused Trump of aligning with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whom Fani‑Kayode likened to “a modern‑day Hitler” — and of ignoring atrocities elsewhere while attempting to brand Nigeria with a genocide tag. “He is calling our people the ‘killers of Christians’ and is desperately trying to label our nation with the genocide tag and create a crisis in Nigeria,” Fani‑Kayode wrote.
His comments follow a Truth Social post by Trump in which the U.S. president said he had instructed the Department of War to prepare for possible action and warned the United States could suspend all aid to Nigeria if attacks on Christians continue. Trump wrote that any intervention would be “fast, vicious, and sweet,” and urged the Nigerian government to act quickly.
Fani‑Kayode’s post reflects heightened tensions after international accusations that Nigeria is failing to protect Christian communities — claims the Nigerian government has repeatedly disputed. The exchange underscores growing diplomatic strain between some U.S. officials and Nigerian public figures amid debates over violence and religious freedom in the country.
