Franklin Graham, an evangelist, has joined the campaign over the alleged killing of Christians by Islamic jihadists in Nigeria, urging President Donald Trump to put more pressure on President Bola Tinubu to protect Christians being butchered by jihadists.

Mr Graham made this call in a post on X on Saturday, responding to reports of the recent killing of family members of Plateau-based cleric Ezekiel Dachamo.

“Pray for the persecuted Christians in Nigeria. Pray that President @realDonaldTrump will put pressure on the Muslim president of Nigeria to protect innocent Christians who are being butchered by radical followers of Islam,” Mr Graham said.

Referring to Mr Dachamo, the American preacher said: “This pastor said, “I know what it means to stand before grieving families whose only crime was refusing to deny Jesus Christ…Now they say I will be next. But I ask the world, what is my crime?”

Mr Graham’s intervention comes amid a campaign over the alleged killing of Christians in Nigeria championed by U.S. lawmakers Ted Cruz, Riley Moore and others.

Based on the campaign, the American president redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern last year, ordering airstrikes against ISIS terrorists in Sokoto.

In May, U.S. forces also coordinated an air raid on an ISIS camp in the North-East, eliminating the terrorist group’s second-in-command, Abu Bilal Al-Minuki, and other members of the group.