IN SHORT: Several Facebook posts claim that Nigerian senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has responded to the suggestion of the US setting up a military base in the oil-rich Port Harcourt and said that "whoever wants the oil can come and get it". But we found no evidence that he made this statement.
In early November 2025, US president Donald Trump designated Nigeria a "country of particular concern" and claimed that it was facing "Christian persecution".
A "country of particular concern" is a designation of a nation engaged in severe violations of religious freedom under the US's International Religious Freedom Act.
Trump also threatened to send the US army "guns-a-blazing" to Nigeria to wipe out what he called the "Islamic Terrorists" who he alleged are killing Christians.
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While there have been reports of Christians being attacked and killed, other religious groups have also been affected, and Trump has provided no evidence to support any of his claims.
Meanwhile, Walid Phares, a political scientist and adviser to Trump during his first presidential term, has suggested on social media that the US should set up a military base in Nigeria to help the West African country stop the killing of Christians.
"To deter #BokoHaram and other jihadist groups in Nigeria - and to stop their massacres of Christians and threats against moderate Muslims - I advise the #Trump administration to establish an emergency base in #PortHarcourt," he wrote on X.
In this context, several Facebook posts claim that Nigerian senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has said that if the US wants to set up a military base and get oil from Nigeria, it can.
The posts quote Abaribe as saying:
I don't know why the North is panicking over the U.S. setting up a military base in Port Harcourt. They said it's because the area is oil-rich. Well, it's our oil - not yours. We can give it to whomever we want. You've managed it for decades; what have we gained from it? Of what use is the oil if it doesn't benefit the very people whose land it comes from? Our resources have been taken for years to build and feed the rest of this disgraced country, while we are left to suffer oil pollution in our rivers and farmlands, and breathe carbon soot raining down on our homes and environment.
Port Harcourt is the capital of Rivers state, southeastern Nigeria. It is a major commercial and processing hub for the country's oil sector.
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The same quote attributed to Abaribe was found here, here, here, here and here. Some posts also ask users to click the attached link to read more about the claim.
But did he make such a statement? We checked.
No evidence for claim
The Nigerian government has responded to Trump's claims, maintaining that the country's security challenges affect both Christians and Muslims and emphasising that the constitution guarantees freedom of religion for all citizens.
Some Nigerian leaders have also weighed in on these claims. If Abaribe had made such a controversial statement, encouraging the US to set up a military base in Nigeria, the media would have covered it. But Africa Check found no credible reports on this.
The posts also didn't state when or where Abaribe made the statement attributed to him. This is a sign that the quote may be fabricated.
The link in some posts also doesn't take users to a news report with more information about the claim. It leads to unrelated sites, which is a major red flag.
We found no evidence to support the claim that Abaribe made the comments attributed to him.
