Abuja, Nigeria — November 3, 2025 | Dalena Reporters Nigeria’s top security leadership held a high-level emergency meeting on Monday at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Abuja in response to public threats made by Donald Trump of possible U.S. military action on Nigerian soil. The meeting was convened by Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), who brought together the service chiefs, heads of intelligence and other senior security-officials.
According to sources close to the National Security Office, the session focused on impact assessments of the U.S. statements, contingency planning and reinforcing Nigeria’s sovereignty in light of the threats. The meeting also reviewed intelligence regarding possible trajectories of the U.S. posture and what Nigeria’s responses should be, if required.
The backdrop to the meeting is a series of remarks by former U.S. President Trump, who declared that the U.S. military should prepare for action in Nigeria to halt alleged mass killings of Christians by Islamist militants. He directed the Department of Defense to begin planning, saying any action “would be fast, vicious, and sweet.
In response, the Nigerian government issued statements rejecting unilateral foreign intervention without its approval, and emphasising the country’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. President Bola Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to protecting all citizens regardless of faith and stressed that while Nigeria would welcome foreign support in counter-terrorism, its territorial integrity must be respected.
Security analysts say the emergency meeting highlights how seriously Nigeria is treating the U.S. threats — not just as rhetorical but as having possible diplomatic, strategic and operational implications. Still, critics argue the government’s response may be more reactive than proactive, given long-standing issues with insurgency, banditry and communal violence within Nigeria.
As of now, the Office of the NSA is expected to issue a formal communiqué detailing decisions taken and next steps from the meeting. The developments mark an elevated phase of Nigerian-U.S. security relations and raise questions about how bilateral cooperation, sovereignty, and internal security will interplay going forward.
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