The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump over his recent claim of genocide in Nigeria, describing the allegation as evidence of a failure within the United States intelligence community.
Speaking at the National Joint Security press briefing in Abuja on Monday, Issa-Onilu said this would not be the first time American intelligence has misled global decision-making.
“This is not the first time the intelligence of the United States failed Americans,” he said. “It failed in Iraq—where it turned out there were no weapons of mass destruction—and they apologized. It failed in Libya and many other instances. I’m sure this is another error in their intelligence gathering.”
The NOA boss acknowledged that Nigeria is grappling with security challenges but stressed that the situation should not be mischaracterized as genocide.
“We all know there are killings in Nigeria—killings that should never happen—but to escalate this into a narrative of genocide is inaccurate and dangerous,” he stated.
Trump Threatens Possible U.S. Military Action
Trump’s comments stem from an explosive post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, where he claimed he had instructed the Pentagon to consider a potential military plan targeting Nigeria. His warning came a day after he alleged that Christianity was “facing an existential threat” in the country.
“If Nigeria does not stem the killings, the United States will attack—and it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians,” Trump wrote.
The following day, he doubled down on the threat after the Nigerian presidency suggested diplomatic engagement to address his concerns.
When asked whether he was considering deploying U.S. troops or launching airstrikes, Trump replied: “Could be. I mean, a lot of things — I envisage a lot of things.”
He further claimed that Christians in Nigeria were being killed in “very large numbers,” adding, “We’re not going to allow that to happen.”
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