Fact Check: Did Trump Criticize Tinubu for His UK Visit During Maiduguri Attacks?

A post gaining traction on X, shared by user @iOccupyNigeria, alleges that former United States President Donald Trump criticized Bola Tinubu, the President of Nigeria, for insecurity issues.

As of 10:14 p.m. on March 16, 2026, the post had already amassed 273,900 views, 484 comments, 2,500 likes, and 687 bookmarks during the review.

This claim references a screenshot purporting to show a statement where Trump allegedly addresses organized attacks in Maiduguri and rebukes Tinubu's response, including his purported trip to the United Kingdom.

While there are indeed security problems in Borno State and reports of official engagements abroad by President Tinubu, there is no credible evidence that Trump made the remarks attributed to him.

A search of Trump's official account on Truth Social reveals no such post.

Additionally, the viral screenshot concludes with the word "TRUTH!", a phrase commonly linked to Truth Social. However, the format seen in the image resembles that of X (formerly Twitter) rather than Truth Social. This discrepancy casts significant doubt on the legitimacy of the post.

Moreover, there have been no reports from any reputable international or Nigerian news outlets regarding such a statement from Trump. Given Trump's prominence, any remarks of this nature concerning Nigeria would likely receive broad media attention.

The emotional language in the post, including phrases like "TOTAL DISASTER" and "NO LEADERSHIP", aligns closely with typical viral misinformation that aims to provoke outrage rather than present verified information.

In conclusion, this claim has been determined to be false. There is no credible evidence supporting the assertion that Donald Trump issued the statement circulating online. Significant inconsistencies within the screenshot and the lack of confirmation from reliable sources suggest that the information is indeed false.

Images comparing Trump’s actual Truth Social handle with the alleged post further highlight the lack of a recognizable identifier that accompanies legitimate posts from the platform.