The Nigerian presidency has denied claims that President Bola Tinubu will be going to the United States on Tuesday over threats by President Donald Trump to deploy troops to Nigeria to protect Christians.
The report by Sahara Reporters had indicated that Tinubu will meet Vice President J.D Vance during his trip to the US.
However, the presidency has not issued any statement to confirm the statement.
Rather, Temitope Ajayi, a member of the Nigerian presidential team dismissed the report as another instance of fake news by the website.
“There is a Sahara Reporters’ story that President Tinubu is going to the US on Tuesday to see US Vice President J.D Vance. That story is not true. I can see that the fake news by Sahara has become the basis for some uninformed commentaries since yesterday. If President Tinubu is going to the White House, he won’t be going to see a Vice President,” Ajayi said.
Trump had on Friday indicated that he had designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern over alleged existential threats to Christians.
He doubled down on the claim on Saturday as he revealed that he has asked the US Department of War to get ready for action in Nigeria to protect Christians.
On Sunday, Trump told journalists that he is envisaging a lot of things, including boots on the ground in Nigeria and air strike to protect Nigerian Christians.
On his X handle on Sunday, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, had indicated that Tinubu would meet Trump “in the coming days.”
Bwala who did not give any specific time for the meeting said Tinubu and Trump are committed to combating insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria.
He recalled that Trump has supported Nigeria by authorising arms sales, which the President has effectively utilised in the fight against terrorism, yielding significant results.
“President Trump has assisted Nigeria a lot by authorising the sale of arms to Nigeria, and President Tinubu has adequately utilised the opportunity in the fight against terrorism, for which we have massive results to show,” Bwala said.
Bwala also said the alleged targeted killing of Christians in Nigeria would be discussed during the meeting, which could be held either at the State House in Abuja or the White House in Washington.
“Both President Bola Tinubu and President Donald Trump have shared interests in the fight against insurgency and all forms of terrorism against humanity,” he said.
“As for the differences as to whether terrorists in Nigeria target only Christians or in fact all faiths and no faiths, the differences, if they exist, would be discussed and resolved by the two leaders when they meet in the coming days, either in the State House or White House,” said Bwala.
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