Trump's Genocide Allegations Shows The Failure Of US Intelligence - NOA

The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lanre Issa-Onilu, has taken a swipe at President Donald Trump, saying his allegation of genocide is as a failure of the United States’ intelligence.

Issa-Onilu stated this at the monthly National Joint Security press briefing held in Abuja on Monday, adding that this is not the first time that the U.S intelligence failed.

He cited instances where the intelligence failed in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan.

“Let me speak specifically to some of the import of the tweet. One is to say that the Christian genocide in Nigeria, I’m sure even America knows that is not true. This is not the first time that the intelligence of the United States has failed America.

“It failed them in Iraq. It turned out that there were no weapons of mass destruction, and they apologised. It failed them in Libya and many other instances. So I’m sure this is another error in their intelligence gathering,” Issa-Onilu added.

The NOA boss further stated that the recent shake-up among Nigeria’s security chiefs demonstrated that the country was working seriously to strengthen its internal security and address communal and religious violence.

“A country that is not working seriously on the issue of security will not take such drastic steps as the President just took last week, changing the top echelons of the military to ensure that the system is rejigged and empowered to do more,” he said.

Issa-Onilu disclosed that the National Security Adviser and the newly appointed service chiefs were expected to brief the media later on Monday afternoon from the Office of the National Security Adviser, where they would “provide an adequate response to the allegations of genocide.”

In an explosive post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, US President Trump said that he asked the Pentagon to map out a possible plan of attack in Nigeria, one day after warning that Christianity was “facing an existential threat” in Africa’s most populous country.

In his post, Trump said that if Nigeria does not stem the killings, the United States will attack and “it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians.”

Trump on Sunday also repeated his threat of a military operation in Nigeria over the killings of Christians, after the Nigerian presidency suggested a meeting to resolve the issue.

Asked if he was considering US troops on the ground in Nigeria or air strikes, Trump replied: “Could be, I mean, a lot of things — I envisage a lot of things.”

“They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen,” he added.