Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has faulted U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy troops to Nigeria over alleged killing of Christians in the country.

Mr Soyinka, who spoke after meeting Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, in Makurdi on Friday, said Mr Trump’s threat showed disregard for the victims of insecurity in the country and the government trying to proffer solutions to the unacceptable situation.

The elder statesman said, “You don’t just open your mouth and say I am coming to help you whether you like it or not. And you say I am coming with violence from outside with poor, almost non-existent analysis of the complexity of where the problem is. At least, have some respect for the victims and those trying to find solutions for the unacceptable situation.”

Mr Trump, in October, redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged killings of Christians. The U.S. president posted the declaration on Truth Social, claiming Christians faced an existential threat in the Africa’s most populous country.

However, Mr Soyinka, who recently announced U.S. revocation of his visa, described Mr Trump’s threat as a crazy agenda announced without adequate understanding of the complexity of the challenges confronting the West African country. 

“And you’re saying that when you come, you’re coming with gun blazing. And you said it would be fast, vicious and with speed. Is that the language of someone whose head is correct. What else do you want me to say?,” the critic stated. 

Mr Soyinka explained that any government has an obligation to protect and ensure the welfare of its citizens, insisting Mr Trump’s threat of military invasion was uncalled for.

Meanwhile, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa held a public hearing on the redesignation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern to examine religious freedom concerns in Nigeria, with senior state department officials testifying on extremists’ attacks in the country.

The committee chairman, Chris Smith, insisted that Nigeria faces systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom with U.S. lawmakers debating Nigeria’s response while discussing visa bans, tighter aid conditions among other sanctions.

However, President Bola Tinubu denied targeted killings of Christians in the country, saying Mr Trump’s description did not in any way reflect Nigeria’s reality.