President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday, November 1, to announce that he has instructed America’s Department of War to prepare for possible action against Nigeria over “the killing of Christians.”

The US defence secretary, the equivalent of the minister of defence in Nigeria, Pete Hegseth, added that the United States (US) would stop aid to Nigeria and would deploy troops to “completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists”.

Earlier, the American leader put the West African nation on a US watch list, designating it a “country of particular concern” (CPC).

Although a war between the US and Nigeria is not envisioned, and the African country’s military is not expected to be initially involved even if the US deploys its military assets against terrorists, Washington’s pronouncements have caused anxiety in Nigeria.

Amid widespread concerns, Legit highlights all the Nigerian states that may be affected by the US’ threat.

1) Borno state

Borno is widely considered the epicentre and the state most affected by terrorism in Nigeria.

This is primarily due to the long-standing Boko Haram insurgency and the presence of its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

2) Yobe state

Yobe is one of the states most affected by terrorism in Nigeria, particularly by the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgencies. The state has experienced a devastating impact, with significant loss of life, displacement of people, and destruction of infrastructure and economic activities.

3) Adamawa state

Adamawa is one of the Nigerian states most affected by insurgents’ condemnable activities. Legit reports that regular military operations are ongoing in Adamawa to counter the terrorists’ actions.

4) Kaduna state

The insecurity in Kaduna is part of a broader pattern of violence in northern Nigeria.

In September, the governor of the state, Uba Sani, cautioned opposition politicians against politicizing insecurity, warning that claims that bandits could be “carpet-bombed” out of existence are misleading and deceptive.

Sani traced the security challenges in Kaduna state and the north-west zone of the country at large to poverty, unemployment and poor leadership or governance at several tiers of the people’s being.

5) Katsina state Katsina has experienced its share of attacks by outlaws.

In Katsina, there is persistent bandit/terrorist violence and frequent abductions.

6) Zamfara state

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hinted that his administration would create state police to effectively address the security challenges in Zamfara and other Nigerian states.

Subsequently, Governor Dauda Lawal stated that banditry would become history in his state if he had control over security outfits.

7) Sokoto state

Sokoto faces its own security challenges, problems more frequently associated with armed banditry and kidnappings, particularly in its rural and border areas.

In September, the Sokoto police command arrested three suspected collaborators of bandits and recovered arms and ammunition in separate operations across the state.

According to a statement issued by the police spokesperson, Ahmad Rufai, the arrests were made in intelligence-driven operations conducted by the anti-kidnapping unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department and operatives of the Tureta division.

8) Niger state

Niger is one of the states in Nigeria significantly affected by armed attacks and terrorism.

The attacks in Niger, a state within 30 kilometres of the federal capital territory (Abuja), have highlighted the spread and seriousness of the threat in the northern region.

Seven other states that could be affected if the US carries out military action in Nigeria are listed below:

1 Kano
2 Kogi
3 Benue
4 Plateau
5 Taraba
6 Gombe
7 Bauchi