Security and Policy Analyst, Dr. Kabir Adamu, has cautioned that U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments threatening military action against Nigeria over alleged religious persecution constitute a violation of international norms and should be regarded as a serious escalation.Speaking on ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Adamu described the development as “unsurprising but deeply concerning,” recalling that during Trump’s first tenure, Nigeria was also listed as a “Country of Particular Concern” before the decision was reversed by the Democrats.“What is surprising, however, is this escalation to threaten to attack a sovereign state,” Adamu said. “This is completely against the rules-based system that the world has embraced. No country should threaten the sovereignty of another over an allegation it has not even allowed the other to respond to.”Trump had on Friday designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over what he described as the “mass slaughter” of Christians, directing U.S. lawmakers to investigate the matter. Posting on his Truth Social account, Trump claimed that Christianity was facing “an existential threat” in Nigeria, alleging that “radical Islamists” were responsible for the killings.By Saturday, the U.S. President intensified his rhetoric, ordering the Department of War to prepare for “possible action” and threatening to suspend all American aid to Nigeria if the alleged attacks on Christians continued.“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and may very well go into that now disgraced country ‘guns-a-blazing’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote.Dr. Adamu argued that Trump’s remarks appeared politically motivated and tied more to domestic U.S. politics than to verifiable facts.“One of the issues at play is domestic politics,” he noted. “A lot of what is going on is to align, strengthen, and consolidate his grassroots support by mentioning things like protecting Christianity across the world — that resonates very well with his local support base.”He added that it remained uncertain whether Trump would act on his threat but urged Nigeria to respond strategically rather than emotionally.“Statecraft is not run on conspiracy theories; it’s run on intelligence and established platforms,” Adamu said. “What is important now is for Nigeria to focus on coordination, minimise the risk, and start de-escalating.”The analyst also warned that Nigeria’s security risk level should now be considered “extreme” following Trump’s remarks, calling for proactive government measures.“If another country is threatening to attack us, we should have elevated our risk level. What do we do to mobilise? How do we respond? Are we sitting ducks waiting for it to happen? What is critical now is to start de-risking and de-escalating the situation,” he advised.Adamu stressed that effective statecraft and coordination were essential to managing the situation and safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty.Meanwhile, the Presidency confirmed on Saturday that President Bola Tinubu is expected to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in the coming days to discuss the allegations of “Christian genocide” and other related diplomatic concerns.