Emmanuel Okoro resides in Houston, but his business has primarily been based in Nigeria for most of his life.
Keeping track of the latest news happening in his native country has concerned him for years. Kidnappings, insecurity, roadside attacks, and church shootings have been rampant nationwide. When President Donald Trump said recently that the United States might go into Nigeria “guns a blazing” to defend Christians, Okoro felt a hint of hope.
“For many years, Christians have suffered violence, and the government keeps pretending there is no problem,” he said. “People are dying. The government is compromised. So collaboration is needed.”
Nigerians in the diaspora are watching the situation back home shift from crisis to political spectacle. Trump’s threat put the world’s most populous Black nation at the center of America’s political drama. At the same time, Nigeria’s own leaders pushed back hard, warning that foreign intervention must respect the country’s sovereignty.
A crisis spread across a whole country
Violence in Nigeria has worsened over the past decade. The numbers show a country under strain on nearly every front. Independent trackers estimate that more than 20,000 civilians have been killed by armed groups since 2015. The scale of the insecurity has stretched Nigerian security forces to the limit. Entire road networks are unsafe.
Many Nigerians who can afford to fly now do so, even when travelling between cities that are only a few hours apart by road. For everyone else, daily life has become a gamble.
Okoro sees the impact each time he travels home for work in the oil and gas industry.
“People are suffering. You cannot travel by road. If you try, you get kidnapped or killed,” Okoro said. “So people fly, but the cost is too high. It affects every part of the economy.”
The Trump administration has promoted a new push to “defend Christians” in Nigeria. A State Department official stated that the strategy encompasses potential sanctions, diplomatic pressure, intelligence sharing, and preparations for possible military action.
However, the narrative conflicts with Nigeria’s own official stance. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar say the violence is not a “Religious genocide”. They argue that conflicts vary sharply by region and that Muslims and Christians are victims alike.
Tinubu has also insisted that while Nigeria welcomes assistance, any action must respect sovereignty. Nigeria currently has no fully accredited ambassador in Washington, a gap that weakens its ability to shape the conversation.
“The government is compromised,” Okoro said. “There are people inside the government who are supporting these groups. They deny the problem, and they refuse to arrest anyone. So collaboration is needed.”
Diasporans speak out
Dr. Chris Ulasi, Professor & Chair of Radio, Television and Film at Texas Southern University, agrees that the American political narrative is shaped more by U.S. priorities than by Nigeria’s whole reality.
“Each administration projects its own political goals,” he said. “For Trump, the Christian-persecution narrative resonates with parts of his base. But Nigeria’s crisis is not a single-story crisis.”
Many worry that an American military threat could pour gasoline on a fire already burning across multiple regions. Military intervention alone cannot resolve the country’s fundamental issues.
“Intervention without context can worsen things,” Ulasi said. “You cannot bomb your way through a security problem that comes from weak institutions, poverty, corruption, and years of mistrust.”
The difference lies in how that intervention should be implemented, such as the need for intelligence support and stronger diplomatic engagement. Several said Washington should pressure Nigerian leaders to investigate corruption within security agencies and rebuild trust in the military.
Dr. Anthony Ogbo, Executive Editor of the Texas Southern Journal of Media Innovation and Creative Communication, argues that American intervention risks repeating old patterns.
“Whenever the West says it wants to help, there are questions,” he said. “Nigeria must protect its sovereignty. We can welcome support, but we must be careful. These issues are not black and white.”
Ogbo says that U.S. policy often prioritizes American interests over Nigerian ones. Western engagement in Africa has typically been driven by the pursuit of resources (such as critical minerals), trade routes, geopolitical influence to counter rivals (like China and Russia), and security cooperation (including counterterrorism efforts).
“Every nation protects its own priorities. The question we must ask is simple. What does America want from this? And what will intervention look like in real terms?”
Nigeria has been re-designated as a “country of particular concern” by the US government, a designation made by President Donald Trump. This is the second occurrence in five years, following an initial designation in 2020 that was lifted in 2021.
“Nigeria has problems, yes, but the government does not want outsiders telling it how to manage its internal issues,” Ogbo said. “Collaboration should never become control.”
Solutions proposed include:
• Stronger intelligence cooperation between the U.S. and Nigeria
• Targeted sanctions against officials who enable armed groups
• U.S. support to rebuild trust in Nigeria’s security institutions
• Diplomatic engagement that encourages accountability within Nigeria’s government
And perhaps most importantly, a more honest conversation about the roots of the violence.
What they want now is something more profound. Accuracy. Nuance. Action that helps, not action that escalates. And respect for a country that is fighting for stability in one of the most complex security environments in the world.
“We need constructive dialogue,” Okoro said. “Not an invasion. Not denial. Real solutions that protect everybody, Muslim and Christian. Our people need help.”
