United States President Donald Trump on Monday met with President Muhammadu Buhari, warning that his administration will not tolerate the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Speaking against the backdrop of incessant killings attributed to herdsmen in the country, particularly in Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba and Plateau states, Trump said he will be working on the problem with his guest as the US will not allow the killings to continue.
The US President said: “We have met before, developing a great relationship. We look forward to our discussions today. They are very important, but again, especially as it relates to terrorism. That is terrorism here and terrorism all over the world.
“It’s a hotbed and we are going to be stopping them.
“Also we have had a very serious problem with Christians who are being murdered, killed in Nigeria. We gonna be working on that problem and working on that problem very very hard because we can’t allow that to happen.
“Mr. President thank you for being here, thank you.”
President Trump also raised the question of kidnapped Chibok and Dapchi schoolgirls, Boko Haram and ISIS
He wondered what President Buhari was doing about the kidnapped girls he described the Boko Haram insurgents as a terrible problem.
The US President added: “We have very much decimated ISIS, much has taken place over the last twelve months but Boko Haram has been terrible and how did you do with the young women that were kidnapped? How was that going?”
In his response, Buhari admitted that security was a major issue in Nigeria and thanked the US for agreeing to sell aircraft to the country as well as send instructors to train Nigerian soldiers.
Buhari reiterated his position that the killings in Nigeria were aggravated by the demise of the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, who he said had trained people who found their ways into the sub region with a weapon and their training.
President Buhari said: “Certainly, security is the main issue. We are very grateful to the United States for agreeing to give us the aircraft we asked for and the spare parts.
“We are even more grateful for the physical presence of the United States military instructors that go into our institutions and train them, and go to the front in the North East to see how they are performing as a result of the training given to them.
