By Julian Daniel, Spring 2026 Marcellus Policy Fellow

Nigeria faces a security crisis. A wide variety of armed groups, ranging from the transnational jihadist organization Islamic State (IS) and the endemic jihadist group Boko Haram to a variety of criminal gangs known as “bandits,” terrorize civilians across rural Nigeria. Between 2023 to 2025, over 10,000 Nigerian civilians were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced by violence.

This humanitarian crisis in Africa’s most populous nation has drawn the attention of many Christian groups and members of the U.S. Congress, who have expressed alarm over the alleged prevalence of religiously motivated killings of Christians. Analysts reject this framing, noting that only around 5% of killings are primarily driven by religious tensions. In late 2025, President Trump began harshly criticizing Nigeria’s government for allegedly tolerating the killing of Christians and threatened to invade Nigeria. This rhetoric was followed by military action, including airstrikes, joint special forces raids, and the deployment of two hundred U.S. soldiers to Nigeria. These military strikes suggest that the White House now envisions a growing U.S. counterterrorism footprint in Nigeria. Given the complex nature of Nigeria’s security challenges, further U.S. military involvement will likely be ineffectual and may further destabilize the nation.

A more effective and less costly approach to countering instability in Nigeria involves taking on a multidimensional approach to security including security sector reforms, cross-border counterterrorism partnerships with Nigeria’s neighbors, and efforts to address the root causes of violence in Nigeria. The United States should foster security partnerships with Nigeria’s neighbors, including by opening channels for cooperation with Niger’s military regime. The United States should also work to promote reforms to Nigeria’s security apparatus to curb abuses against civilians and condition future arms sales on effective reforms. Support for community peacebuilding through partnership with community leaders also provides a cost-effective means of promoting a lasting peace, while the United States should support an inclusive and legitimate Nigerian federal election in 2027. Finally, U.S. officials should refrain from rhetoric on violence in Nigeria which could inflame sectarian tensions and threaten the country’s stability.