Daniel Bwala, an Adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu was responding to threats of military action by President Donald Trump over what he said was the ill treatment of Christians in the West African country.
Trump said on Saturday that he had asked the Defence Department to prepare for possible “fast” military action in Nigeria if Africa’s most populous country fails to crack down on the killing of Christians.
“We welcome US assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity,” Bwala told Reuters.
Trump on Sunday told reporters the US military could deploy troops to Nigeria or carry out air strikes to stop what he called the killing of “very large numbers” of Christians there, but gave no further details.
“I envisage a lot of things,” Trump said aboard Air Force One, without elaborating.
Bwala sought to play down tensions between the two states, despite Trump calling Nigeria a “disgraced country.”
“We don’t take it literally, because we know Donald Trump thinks well of Nigeria,” Bwala said. “I am sure by the time these two leaders meet and sit, there would be better outcomes in our joint resolve to fight terrorism,” he said.
–Reuters–
