Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser, has met Pete Hegseth, United States defense secretary, following US President Donald Trump’s threat to Nigeria.
Trump said he would instruct the Department of War to send
troops into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” to “wipe out the Islamic Terrorists,”
he said were killing Christians.
Ribadu, on the directives of President Bola Tinubu, led a high-level delegation to the United States on the matter.
The delegation comprised Bianca Ojukwu, minister of
state for foreign affairs; Kayode Egbetokun, inspector general of police (IGP);
Lateef Fagbemi, attorney general of the federation; and Olufemi Oluyede, chief
of defence staff.
On Wednesday, the team met with Riley Moore, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, in Washington.
Moore has been one of the US politicians insistent on claims
of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
ABC news reported that two defense officials
confirmed Ribadu’s meeting with Hegseth. Dan Caine, joint chiefs chairman, also
joined in on the meeting Thursday evening.
But the meeting was not included on Hegseth or Caine’s
public schedules, and Ribadu’s arrival was not open to the press.
The said meeting held the same day congress heard
allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
During the hearing, Jonathan Pratt, senior official at the
US State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, confirmed that
the delegation would meet with State Department officials as well as Department
of War officials.
Pratt also said the state department will work with the
Nigerian government on measures, including a task force, to address the alleged
Christian persecution in the country.
Meanwhile, Sara Jacobs, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, said Trump’s
threat to deploy military action in Nigeria was reckless.
Jacobs said Congress has not authorised force in Nigeria,
adding that any action without Nigeria’s consent violates international law.
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