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In a dramatic and historic vote late Friday night, the United States Congress overwhelmingly backed President Donald J. Trump’s push for possible military intervention in Nigeria, with 285 members voting in favour out of 383 total votes cast in a special joint session.
The resolution gives the President authority to use targeted military force against armed groups accused of carrying out widespread attacks on Christian communities in northern and central Nigeria.
President Trump, who has described the violence as “nothing short of genocide against Christians,” immediately welcomed the result, posting on Truth Social: “HUGE WIN! Congress just voted 285–98 to let us STOP the slaughter of innocent Christians in Nigeria. The military is ready. Very soon, justice will be done – fast and hard. Thank you to every Patriot who stood with us!”
The emergency resolution, titled the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Protection and Counter-Terrorism Act of 2025,” was fast-tracked through both the House and Senate after three weeks of intense closed-door briefings. It passed with strong bipartisan support 232 Republicans and 53 Democrats voted yes reflecting growing frustration in Washington over years of reported mass k!ll!ngs, abductions and village burnings that the Nigerian authorities have been unable to stop.
For more than a decade, jihad!st groups such as Bok0 Haran and heavily armed Fulan! militia herdsmen have carried out de@dly raids across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern states. Open Doors and other monitoring organisations say Nigeria remains the de@dliest place in the world to be a Christian, with thousands kil!ed every year.
President Trump had already taken unilateral steps:
▪️On 31 October, he officially designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” for severe violations of religious freedom.
▪️All U.S. aid (over $1 billion a year) was frozen until “tangible improvement” is seen.
▪️Earlier this month, he ordered the Pentagon to draw up contingency plans for “rapid and decisive” action.
- In Abuja, President Bola Tinubu’s government called the vote “a regrettable overreach” and insisted the situation is an internal security matter affecting Nigerians of all faiths.
▪️Evangelical leaders and human-rights campaigners in the United States praised the move as long overdue.
▪️Several African and European governments expressed concern that unilateral U.S. military action could destabilise the entire West African region.
The President now has ten days to sign the resolution into law. Once signed, the U.S. military can begin operations – most analysts expect precision airstrikes and possible special-forces raids rather than a large ground invasion.
For millions of persecuted believers in Nigeria, tonight’s vote in Washington is being seen as a glimmer of hope. For the White House, it is another bold demonstration that Donald Trump intends to keep his campaign promise: when Christians are under attack anywhere in the world, America will no longer just watch.
Light has conquered darkness
