How Trump’s US Air strikes in Nigeria relied on data from Onitsha trader – Report

The United States reportedly relied on information provided by Emeka Umeagbalasi, a screwdriver trader and human rights advocate in Onitsha, Anambra State, to carry out air strikes against alleged ISIS positions in Nigeria, according to a report by the New York Times.

In October 2025, then-U.S. President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over claims of an ongoing Christian genocide in the country. Trump described the situation as an “existential threat to Christianity,” alleging that thousands of Christians were being killed by radical Islamist groups.

A month later, he threatened that the U.S. Department of War would “invade Nigeria guns-a-blazing” to wipe out the militants if the Nigerian government failed to act. Subsequently, on December 26, U.S. forces launched air strikes on ISIS targets in north-western Sokoto State, reportedly “at the request of Nigerian authorities.”

The NYT report described Umeagbalasi, founder of the NGO International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), as an unlikely source whose research U.S. Republican lawmakers, including Senators Ted Cruz and Riley Moore, and Congressman Chris Smith, have repeatedly cited in support of claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria. Umeagbalasi runs the NGO with his wife from his home.

In statements to the media, Umeagbalasi claimed he had documented 125,000 Christian deaths in Nigeria since 2009. His methodology, he admitted, relies heavily on Google searches, media reports, and advocacy group data, including from Open Doors. He acknowledged that he rarely verifies the data firsthand or visits the regions where attacks occurred, often assuming the religion of victims based on the predominant faith in the location of an attack.

“If a mass abduction or killing happens in an area where he thinks many Christians live, he assumes the victims are Christians,” the report stated. In an interview with The Sun, Umeagbalasi described his approach as “one of the oldest natural methods in the world.”

Umeagbalasi holds degrees in Security Studies and Peace and Conflict Resolution from the National Open University of Nigeria. He has described himself as a “knowledgeable and powerful” investigator and self-styled criminologist. He claimed there exists a deliberate “strategy to annihilate all Christians and Islamize Nigeria,” stating that out of an estimated 100,000 churches in the country, about 20,000 have been destroyed over the last 16 years. When asked about his sources, he admitted, “I Googled it.”

The report noted that U.S. policymakers, relying on Umeagbalasi’s data, authorised military strikes in Nigeria during the festive period, citing the information provided by the three U.S. lawmakers.

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