Tinubu and Trump. Photo Source: PRNigeria News.
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Claim: A Facebook user claims that Trump threatened Tinubu with arrest within 24 hours.
Verdict: False. No reputable news outlet has reported the alleged plan to capture President Tinubu. Meanwhile, careful findings indicate that the White House has not issued any threat to Nigeria or its political sovereignty since November 2025. Furthermore, the claimant is not a credible source and has no affiliation with any reputable news outlet.
Full Text
During the weekend, the United States attacked and bombed Venezuela, and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro— an action that has triggered worldwide criticism.
The hostile operation, which the US President Donald Trump described as the “most stunning” display of the American military, was a tremendous outcome of several months of threats over Maduro’s alleged operations in exporting drugs to the US.
Against this background, a Facebook user, Dili Classic, 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.
As of Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, the claim had garnered 27,000 likes, 10,600 comments, and 1,300 shares.
While some Facebook users were not favourably pleased with Trump’s alleged plan to capture Tinubu, others welcomed it.
“I am not in support of the US taking our president,” Burbwa Kundu wrote.
“If America could take Osama bin Laden unaware, then Tinubu is certain,” Oma Li Cha commented.
“President Trump, please take him,” Favour Chinaza Robert pleaded.
Due to the post’s sensitivity and its potential to create international conflict between the US and Nigeria, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a related keyword search on Trump’s alleged plan to capture Tinubu and found no credible report from reputable news outlets.
The results of the search only linked us with Trump’s declaration of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” in November 2025 and the threat to invade Nigeria to attack Islamic extremists persecuting Christians.
DUBAWA also checked the White House’s X handle and noticed that recent announcements and communications from the US presidency have been used to legitimise the capture of Venezuela’s leader. There has been no official announcement regarding an alleged attempt or threat to arrest President Tinubu.
We noticed that the claimant, who identifies as a filmmaker, content creator, and blogger, has no affiliation with any reputable news outlet, and he did not include a credible source in his post.
Conclusion
No reputable news outlet has reported any threat or plan by the US to capture Tinubu. The White House has not threatened Nigeria or its political sovereignty since November 2025. So the claim is false.
