ISTANBUL

People took to the streets on Saturday in Kano, a city in northern Nigeria, to protest US President Donald Trump's threats to attack the country, rejecting his claim of "Christian genocide," according to multiple media reports.

In Kano State, which has a predominantly Muslim population, numerous Islamic groups gathered to condemn Trump's threats of military action in Nigeria.

Demonstrators were seen in Kano, the same name as the state, carrying placards with messages such as "We condemn Trump's threat to attack Nigeria," "There is no Christian genocide in Nigeria," and "America wants to control our resources," among others.

On Nov. 1, Trump declared that he had ordered the Pentagon to develop options for possible military measures against terrorist groups in Nigeria to protect Christian communities there.

He said that if the Nigerian government "continues to allow the killing of Christians," Washington would immediately cut all aid, adding that the US could "go into that now disgraced country, 'guns-a-blazing.'"

Nigeria rejected the claims, saying there cannot be “religious persecution that can be supported in any way, shape, or form by the government of Nigeria.”

"At any level—be it federal, be it regional, be it local—it's impossible," said Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar.

In Nigeria, security is threatened by a mix of terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and ISWAP, as well as armed gangs, ethnic militias like the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and herder-farmer conflicts often rooted in economic and social tensions.