Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine met privately Thursday evening with Nigeria’s national security adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, amid heightened tensions following President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy U.S. troops to Nigeria to “wipe out” Islamic militants he claims are targeting Christians.

Two defense officials confirmed the meeting, which did not appear on either Hegseth’s or Caine’s public schedules. Ribadu’s arrival at the Pentagon was closed to the press, and the Department of Defense — which Hegseth now calls the “Department of War” — declined to comment on the agenda or whether U.S. military posture in Africa might change.

The meeting comes days after Trump ordered the Pentagon to prepare for rapid military action unless Nigeria’s government “moves fast” to stop violence against Christians. His comments follow intense focus on Nigeria from conservative media, including Fox News, and Christian political figures such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va.

Independent monitoring groups, including the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), report that tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in Nigeria in recent years, noting that victims include both Christians and Muslims across multiple regions of unrest.

In a Nov. 1 post on Truth Social, Trump warned that the U.S. may halt all aid to Nigeria and potentially launch a military operation, writing that any attack would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action,” Trump wrote. “WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”

Hegseth replied publicly, “Yes sir,” adding that the Pentagon “is preparing for action.”

The Defense Department has not indicated whether any operational orders have been issued.