US military presents plan to Trump for potential action in Nigeria

The United States has prepared different military plans for possible action in Nigeria following President Donald Trump’s directive to respond to killings of Christians in the country, Dockaysworld reports.

According to New York Times, the plans, submitted by the US Africa Command to the Department of War, outline three levels of response, heavy, medium, and light, depending on the extent of action Washington decides to take.

The directive came after President Trump accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of failing to stop the killings of Christians in northern Nigeria.

In response, the Pentagon was instructed to prepare plans that could be quickly activated if the US government decides to move forward.

According to officials in Washington, the heavy option involves deploying an aircraft carrier group to the Gulf of Guinea, from where long-range bombers and fighter jets would strike identified insurgent targets deep inside Nigeria’s northern region.

This would represent the most forceful show of power but also faces logistical hurdles, as most US carriers are currently deployed in other parts of the world or undergoing maintenance.

The medium plan proposes the use of drones such as Reapers and Predators to carry out airstrikes on militant camps, convoys, and vehicles.

These drones could hover for hours while tracking targets before striking, but their deployment would be difficult since the US no longer operates its former drone bases in Niger, which are now under Russian control.

The nearest available launch sites are in southern Europe and Djibouti, making sustained air operations more complex.

The light option centres on limited cooperation with Nigerian forces.

It would involve sharing intelligence, providing surveillance data, and supporting partner-led missions against Boko Haram and Islamic State-linked groups operating in the northeast.

This approach would require close coordination with Nigeria’s military, but such cooperation has weakened after the Trump administration dissolved the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and shut its office in Abuja earlier this year.

However, American military officials are said to be divided on the issue, warning that any direct strike or heavy intervention would be complicated.

They said that violence in Nigeria’s northern and central regions stems from a mix of ethnic, religious, and land-related disputes, not just ideology.

Militants linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have attacked both Muslims and Christians, carried out kidnappings, and destroyed villages.

While the proposals are still under review, some officials admit that none of the options are likely to end Nigeria’s long-running insurgency.

They believe a full-scale campaign, similar to those in Iraq or Afghanistan, would be required to make a lasting impact, a move the US is unwilling to undertake at this time.

At present, the Department of War is still reviewing the Africa Command’s proposals.