US official says Donald Trump is prioritising protection of Nigerian Christians

• Riley Moore said Donald Trump is focused on protecting Christians in Nigeria from attacks by extremist groups.

• Moore linked Trump to the joint Nigerian-American military operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as ISIS’s second-in-command globally.

• The congressman revealed that Trump directed him to investigate alleged Christian persecution in Nigeria and submit recommendations to the White House.

• Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters confirmed al-Minuki was killed in a coordinated strike in the Lake Chad Basin after years of involvement with ISIS and Boko Haram.

A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has said President Donald Trump is placing strong focus on the protection of Christians in Nigeria following years of attacks by extremist groups operating in the country’s north-east.

Moore made the remarks while speaking on NewsNation during an interview with anchor Anna Kooiman, where he discussed the recent joint Nigerian-American military operation that reportedly killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS globally.

The Republican congressman, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, linked the operation directly to Trump’s security priorities and warned terrorist groups against targeting Christians in Nigeria.

“President Trump is laser focused on defending our Christian brothers and sisters in Nigeria against the slaughter and martyrdom they’ve faced at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists,” Moore wrote on his X account on Monday while sharing a clip of the interview.

“The strike on Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS Number 2 globally, sends a clear message: those who target innocent Christians will be hunted down and brought to justice. Do not test President Trump’s resolve,” he said.

Moore explained that the US administration increased its engagement with Nigeria after Trump designated the country as a “nation of particular concern” over religious persecution on October 31 last year.

According to him, Trump personally directed him to investigate the situation in Nigeria and submit recommendations to the White House.

“President Trump tasked me personally to go investigate this issue of Christian persecution, Christian genocide in Nigeria, which is what I did.

“I travelled to Nigeria with my colleagues from the Appropriations Committee and put together this report that we presented to the White House with a number of key recommendations on how we can try to protect those populations that are suffering at the hands of Islamic radical terrorists,” he said.

The congressman added that Trump remains deeply interested in the issue and continues to monitor developments.

“This is something that the president is acutely focused on as he should be and so am I,” Moore said. “And I think many around the country are.

“I just a couple hours ago walked out of church to be on television here with you and I heard from many people thank you for focusing on this issue. So I think it’s something that’s near and dear to a lot of people’s hearts,” he stated.

Moore also noted that US involvement in counterterrorism efforts in Nigeria did not begin recently, pointing to the rise of Boko Haram over a decade ago.

“We’ve been involved now for close to a year and this has been on and off though since prior to 2015. As you remember, the emergence of Boko Haram during that time period,” he said.

Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters had earlier confirmed the killing of al-Minuki during what it described as a “meticulously planned and highly coordinated” precision strike carried out in the Lake Chad Basin.

Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, described al-Minuki as one of the most influential operational commanders within ISIS globally.

According to the military, he supervised ISIS weapons production, drone programmes and international media operations, while also coordinating activities of ISIS-linked groups outside Nigeria.

Security intelligence reports further indicated that by February 2026, al-Minuki may have risen to become Head of the ISIS General Directorate of States, considered the second most powerful office within the terrorist organisation’s global structure.

Before aligning with ISIS in 2015, al-Minuki was reportedly a senior commander within Boko Haram and was linked to the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping involving more than 100 students.

The United States government had earlier sanctioned him in 2023 over his involvement with the Islamic State network.