‘Bleeding’: Archbishop begs Trump for weapons to help Christians fight against murderous Islamists
A Catholic archbishop, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Nigeria, is asking President Donald Trump for intelligence and weapons to combat violence in his country, violence coming from Islamists who have been attacking, even murdering, Christians.
“So we say to Donald Trump: Give us intelligence reports, give us weapons, collaborate with our government, and then find a way to eradicate all these military groups,” he said, adding a message to leaders of other Western nations: “Stop ignoring what is happening in Africa, especially in Nigeria.”
His comments came at a meeting in Madrid where the Aid to the Church in Need presented the campaign “May Persecution Not Have the Last Word: Heal Nigeria,” according to a report at EWTN News.
“Nigeria is bleeding,” he said. “Nigeria is wounded. Nigeria is being destroyed by multiple factors. And we must ask God to help us heal Nigeria.”
He explained, “There is a deliberate program by Islamists to reduce the Christian presence in this country. They are instilling fear into the laity who gather to celebrate Mass — bombarding them, shooting at them, threatening them, and preventing them from assembling.”
“There is a deliberate strategy to thwart the growth of the church, as well as the expansion of evangelization in Nigeria,” he said. “If this continues, we will be in danger of losing our faith and also of being unable to remain strong enough to promote the faith and identity of our church.”
Kaigama cited President Trump as “the first head of state to declare as a global leader, clearly and unequivocally, that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted.”
“I was glad when I heard Donald Trump say, ‘We are going to go to Nigeria; we are going to put an end to Boko Haram’ … at Christmas, we received a gift — a bomb that fell on Nigerian soil — and, truth be told, I could not say whether it did any good.”
He said the hope was that there would be intelligence, equipment, “everything necessary to eradicate [Islamic terrorists in ]Boko Haram and allow us to live in peace. But a single bomb hasn’t accomplished much. On the contrary, these people are now more emboldened; they attack with regular frequency and are making things worse.”
The report said, “From 2015 to 2025 alone, more than 200 priests were kidnapped across 70% of the country’s dioceses. Of these, 183 were released, 12 were murdered, and three others died as a result of the conditions of their captivity.”
It added, “More than 80 communities have been attacked, and there are over 3 million internally displaced persons in the country due to the violence.”