Professor suggests Trump strike in Nigeria was racially motivated violence

Morgan State University professor Jason Johnson said Saturday that US strikes Terrorist targets in Nigeria became another opportunity for the Trump administration to “engage in violence in a brown country to exert its power.”

During an appearance on MS NOW's “The Weekend,” Johnson told host Eugene Daniels that the administration's logic behind the strikes doesn't make sense, questioning why President Donald Trump will take care of the African countries he once neglected.

“Listen, if the President of the United States suddenly decided that he cared about the very countries that he called 'hole' countries five years ago – that the President of the United States would be sitting there with a giant chessboard with Nicki Minaj on it and being like, 'Where should Barbs go?' Okay, okay. It might all make sense, but it doesn't,” Johnson said. “We know this is just another opportunity for this administration to use violence in a brown country to exert its power.”

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Johnson referred latest comments made by rapper Nicki Minaj at Turning Point USA AmericaFest 2025 last week, in which she advocated for an end to the persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

Johnson also questioned the accuracy of the “figures being put out by Republicans” about the number of Christians killed in the country.

“The BBC conducted a whole investigation into whether the figures put out by the republicans were true. Was it 100,000 people? Was it 6,000 people? Are they mixing different numbers? he asked.

The professor added that terrorist organizations operating in Nigeria “doesn't matter whether you're Christian, Muslim or another religion, they attack everyone,” suggesting Republicans were exaggerating the scale of attacks on Christians in the country.

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Johnson said one of the “vague bright spots” was that the strikes were carried out jointly with the Nigerian government rather than unilaterally – a distinction he felt had been lost in much of the coverage.

The White House did not return immediately Fox News Digitalrequest for comments.

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On Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. military carried out airstrikes in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day targeting ISIS militants he blamed for killing Christians, calling the operation decisive and warning that further attacks would follow if the violence continued.

“Tonight, at my direction as Commander-in-Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against the terrorist scum of ISIS in northwestern Nigeria, who are targeting and viciously killing primarily innocent Christians at levels not seen in years, even centuries!” Trump wrote.

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the attacks in a message on X on Thursday evening.

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The move follows a wave of attacks on Christians and Christian institutions in Nigeria. Last month, gunmen stormed the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, killing two people and kidnapping dozens. Almost a week later, 38 abducted believers were released.

A few days later, armed assailants raided St. Mary's School in Niger State, abducting more than 300 students and staff. School officials said that in the following days, 50 students between the ages of 10 and 18 escaped, but 253 students and 12 teachers remained captive.

Fox News' Greg Wehner contributed to this report.