American evangelist Franklin Graham has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to intensify pressure on Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to address what he described as the persecution and killing of Christians by extremist groups in Nigeria.
Graham made the appeal in a post on X on Saturday while reacting to reports about the killing of relatives of Plateau-based pastor Ezekiel Dachomo.
The preacher urged people to pray for Christians facing attacks in Nigeria and appealed to Trump to push the Nigerian government to take stronger action against those responsible for the violence.
“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,” Graham wrote.
Speaking about Pastor Dachomo’s experience, Graham quoted him as saying he had witnessed the pain of families whose members were killed for refusing to abandon their faith, adding that he had been warned he could become the next target.
Graham’s comments come amid growing international attention over claims of attacks on Christians in Nigeria, with U.S. lawmakers including Ted Cruz and Riley Moore leading calls for action.
Following the campaign, the United States had previously redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and announced measures targeting terrorist groups operating in the country.
The U.S. military has also carried out operations against ISIS-linked militants in Nigeria, including an airstrike in the North-East that reportedly killed senior members of the group.