Morgan State University professor says Trump’s Nigeria airstrikes were done to ‘flex their power’

WASHINGTON, DC: A Morgan State University professor appeared on MS NOW’s 'The Weekend' to discuss the Trump administration’s military strike in Nigeria and the circumstances surrounding the operation.

On Christmas night, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the US military had launched strikes in northwest Nigeria targeting ISIS militants he said were responsible for attacks against Christians.

Jason Johnson’s critique of Donald Trump's airstrikes

During the Saturday, December 27, appearance, Johnson questioned why the United States would engage in military action in Nigeria and raised concerns about the reasoning behind the decision.

Host Eugene Daniels asked Johnson, saying, "expert's say on this that if there is not a plan to what to do next, it might be worse for Christians there."

Johnson replied that the Trump administration’s strike on terror targets in Nigeria was just "another opportunity for this administration to engage in violence in a Brown country in order to flex their power."

He further questioned why Trump would suddenly care about African countries he had previously disparaged, saying, "Look, if the president of the United States suddenly decided that he cared about the very same countries that he called ‘s**thole’ countries five years ago … maybe this all makes sense, but it doesn’t."

He also challenged figures being circulated by Republicans about the number of Christians killed in Nigeria. 

"BBC did a whole investigation as to whether or not the numbers being spread by Republicans are even true. Has it been 100,000 people? Has it been 6,000 people? Are they conflating different kinds of numbers?" Johnson asked. 

According to him, radical groups operating in Nigeria "don’t care if you are a Christian or a Muslim or any other religion, They’re attacking everybody," and accused Republicans of exaggerating the attacks against Christians. 

Amid these criticisms, Johnson acknowledged a "vaguely bright spot" in that the strikes were conducted jointly with the Nigerian government rather than unilaterally, though he argued that nuance had been lost in broader coverage. 

Donald Trump and Nicki Minaj on Violence in Nigeria

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the strikes in a post on X on Thursday, December 26.

Trump described the operation as decisive and warned that additional strikes could follow if the violence continued.

"Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!" Trump wrote.

The move followed a surge of attacks on Christians and Christian institutions in Nigeria. Johnson also referenced recent remarks by Nicki Minaj at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025, where she urged an end to persecution of Christians in Nigeria, comments that had drawn attention in political discussions.

Minaj said, "First of all, Nigeria is a place I’ve always loved. Someone very dear to me, my pastor, is Nigerian"

She continued, "I have lots of Nigerian bonds, and so hearing that people are being kidnapped — while they’re in church, people are being kidnaped, people are being killed, brutalized, all because of their religion — that should spark outrage in America, and that’s what it’s doing.”

Minaj affirmed, “We’re not backing down anymore. We are not going to be silenced by the bullies anymore."