On Saturday, President Trump directed the Department of Defense to prepare for potential intervention in Nigeria. This move comes in response to reported attacks on Christians in the region.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated, “Should the Nigerian government persist in allowing the slaughter of Christians, the U.S. will cease all aid and assistance to the country. We may even consider immediate action to completely eradicate the Islamic terrorists responsible for these heinous acts.”

He further added, “I am instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we proceed, our response will be swift and decisive, mirroring the brutality shown towards our cherished Christians. The Nigerian government is warned to act promptly!”

Following Trump’s directive, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged the order in a post on X, saying, “Yes sir.” Hegseth emphasized, “The senseless killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria—or anywhere—must stop immediately. The Department of War is gearing up for potential action. The Nigerian government must protect its Christian population, or we will deal with the Islamic terrorists responsible for these atrocities.”

“The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately,” Hegseth wrote. “The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

Prior to Trump and Hegseth’s social media comments, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said Saturday his government is committed to working with the United States.

“The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” Tinubu wrote on X. Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so.”

“Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” Tinubu continued. “Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths.”

Trump previously said that Nigeria would be placed on the State Department’s “Countries of Particular Concern” watchlist. In a Truth Social post on Friday, he asked Reps. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) “to immediately look into this matter, and report back to me.”

“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other Countries,” Trump wrote. “We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!”

The president’s order on Saturday comes after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called on Congress to designate Nigeria as a violator of religious freedom, claiming the country has committed a “Christian genocide,” The Associated Press reported.

Religiously-motivated attacks have taken place against both Christian and Muslim populations, according to the AP’s reporting. But other attacks have occurred between farmers and herders fighting over dwindling resources.

The AP also cited data from the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data program showing that between January 2020 and this September, 385 attacks that were “targeted events against Christians … where Christian identity of the victim was a reported factor” resulted in 317 deaths. Over the same period, there were 417 deaths recorded among Muslims in 196 attacks.

“There is no systematic, intentional attempt either by the Nigerian government or by any serious group to target a particular religion,” Information Minister Idris Muhammed told the outlet.

Among those praising Trump’s actions was rapper Nicki Minaj, who thanked the president on Saturday “for taking this seriously.”

“Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude,” Minaj posted on X, sharing a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post from Friday. “We live in a country where we can freely worship God. No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion. We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other. Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror & it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice.”

This all comes days after Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian author Wole Soyinka said his non-resident visa to enter the U.S. was rejected. He said he believes it was because he criticized Trump, which he has done for years.

“I have no visa,” Soyinka said at a press conference on Tuesday. “I am banned, obviously, from the United States, and if you want to see me, you know where to find me.”

Updated at 9:12 p.m. EDT