Killing of Christians in Nigeria is unacceptable, says Trump

United States President Donald Trump has read what might be described as a riot act to the Nigerian government, saying the continued killing of Christians in the country is unacceptable. “Also, we have had a very serious problem with Christians who are being murdered, killed in Nigeria. He said the United States “can’t allow that to happen,” but added that he and Buhari are working on the problem “very, very hard.”

Earlier this week, Pastor Samson Ayokunle, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, begged Buhari for action, according to Africanews. ‘‘I believe that President Muhammadu Buhari can bring these killings to an end,” Ayokunle said. “I believe that if he rises up, these people will stop. People were recruited from the Sahel. Can they face Buhari? One is still held in captivity, and we are very grateful for the United Nations that is acting between the kidnappers and us and haven’t given up. Buhari should just stand up and speak to them. We don’t carry arms. We will not carry arms. We don’t teach carrying arms, but we can call on God. Our God is bigger than human ammunition.”

The International Crisis Group reported that more than 2,500 people were killed in Nigeria in 2016. ‎

Expressing concern over the killing of Christians by Boko Haram, Trump said America would do everything to halt terrorist activities in Nigeria. During Monday’s press conference, Trump said he will fight terrorism where it shows itself. “Here and all over the world, it’s a hot bed and were going to be stopping that,” he said. And the action by the United States in trying to see the end of ISIS has helped us a lot, because Boko Haram in Nigeria, at one time, made a statement that they were loyal to ISIS. Much has taken place over the last 12 months. But Boko Haram has been terrible,” Trump said, according to the White House press pool’s report of the press conference. The president noted that he and Buhari also touched on economic and military ties between the two nations. “We also have a very big trade deal that we’re working on for military equipment — helicopters and the like. “We have met before, developing great relationship. We have developed a great relationship,” Trump said. Buhari called the Trump administration’s efforts to attack the Islamic State helpful, because Boko Haram has been one of the group’s allies, and said American military support is essential. RELATED: McCain Hammers Trump in New Book, Announces ‘This Is My Last Term’

“We very grateful to the United States for agreeing to give us the aircraft we asked for — the spare parts. We are even more grateful for the physical presence of the United States military instructors that go into our institutions and train them, and go to the front in the northeast, to see how they are performing as a result of the training given to them.”

On the clashes between herders and farmers in Nigeria, Buhari said: “The Nigerian herdsman never carried anything more than a stick and occasionally a machete, to cut down foliage and give to their animals. The Nigerian leader said Trump “deserves great deal of credit” for his “statesmanly” role in trying to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In a statement, yesterday, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said: “More disturbing is the revelation by President Trump that the U.S. has been supporting Nigeria with the sum of $1bn annually, whereas President Buhari, in his script, announced that Nigeria received only $500m last year.”

The PDP said: “We had expected President Buhari, as the ‘African Champion on Anti-Corruption’, to immediately respond to President Trump on the whereabouts of the shortfall of $500m.”

It described Buhari’s performance as embarrassing for “completely failing to project the economic interests of our nation before the American government and the world.”

It said: “It was alarming that President Buhari buckled in bilateral negotiation and failed to address the issue of drop in the U.S. purchase of our crude oil, which is the mainstay of our economy. Acknowledging that Nigeria is one of America’s largest trading partners in the region, he disclosed that the U.S. provides it with more than $1 billion a year in foreign aid and wants Nigeria to take down trade barriers in return. According to him, “We think that we are owed that.”

He said: “Nigeria has a reputation for very massive corruption. He said this, yesterday, when he received President Muhammadu Buhari at the White House for talks aimed at boosting the strategic partnership between both countries. What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.
A suicide bombing kills at least 24 people at a mosque in Mubi, Nigeria. Boko Haram are suspected of being behind the attack.