By Adetutu Odeniyi
A Facebook user, Chisco Eze, claimed that Trump has threatened to arrest Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu within 24 hours.
“Breaking: ‘Watch Your Back’ — Trump Says U.S. Could Capture Nigerian President in 24 Hours,” The Facebook user wrote.
The Facebook user further wrote that Trump allegedly warned Tinubu to “watch his back” as the US could capture him within 24 hours without the Nigerian military knowing how it would happen.
The post published on Sunday, January 4, 2026, has since generated 160 likes, 57 comments, and 19 shares as of January 16, 2026.
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While some Facebook users did not believe the purported plan by the U.S president to capture Tinubu, others welcomed it.
“Do fast to capture sleeping president of Nigeria,”Ogbonna John wrote.”You guys are not serious,when did he say so?” Another user, Ddee Olu commented.
“Trump, please come to our aid in Nigeria; this hardship is too much,” Mohammed Baba Musa pleaded.
Interaction between Nigeria and Trump occurred on 31 October after the U.S president declared Nigeria a country of particular concern. According to his post on Truth Social, Trump attributed the move to the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
In the post, the US President wrote, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’
However, the Nigerian government rejected the genocide claim and sent a delegation to the United States led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
On December 25, 2025, during the Christmas celebration, the United States conducted an airstrike on terrorists hideout in Sokoto state, Nigeria.
Just as the new year started, Trump threatened military intervention in Nigeria if the killings of Christians persisted.
Due to the post’s sensitivity and its potential to create international conflict between the US and Nigeria, ROUNDCHECK decided to verify the claim.
ROUNDCHECK Findings
ROUNDCHECK conducted a keyword search on Trump’s alleged plan to capture Tinubu and found no credible report from reputable news outlets.
ROUNDCHECK also checked International news platforms like BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, and found nothing related to the post. For a claim as sensitive as this, it would have been reported on reputable news platforms.
Although there have been instances where Trump actively sought the capture of a country’s president.
On January 3, 2026, Trump announced the capture of Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, after accusing him of corruption, drug trafficking, and posing a threat to the United States interests.
Also, on January 4, 2026, Trump warned Iran that if they “start killing people like they have in the past, they will get hit very hard by the United States”.
ROUNDCHECK thoroughly check Trump’s active and accessible social media accounts, including Truth Social and X, as well as his presidential handle on X, to locate where he mentioned capturing the Nigerian President.
However, no official statement regarding an alleged attempt or threat to arrest President Tinubu was found.
Trump and the White House page has always posted their activities for public accessibility.
Verdict
The claim that Trump has threatened to capture Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu have no evidence.
At the time of this report, no reputable news outlet has reported any threat or plan by the United States to capture Nigeria’s president.
