American forces are unlikely to be able to end a decades-long insurgency in Africa’s most populous country, despite President Trump’s order, officials said.

The US president says his threat is over killings of Christians - though experts say there is no evidence they are disproportionately targeted.

By Colleen Goko, Chijioke Ohuocha and Duncan Miriri JOHANNESBURG/LAGOS (Reuters) -Nigeria raised $2.25 billion in a bond sale on Wednesday as markets largely shrugged off threats from U.S. President Donald Trump of potential military action in the country.

It’s still unclear what — if anything — the administration will do to counter Islamic militants in Nigeria, but precision drone strikes are among the preliminary options being considered.

President Donald Trump was heading to Florida on Friday, watching Fox News, when he saw the network run a story on how Christians were being targeted by Islamic groups in Nigeria, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

Nigeria's government rejected on Wednesday its designation by the United States as a "country of particular concern" over alleged religious freedom violations, saying the move was based on misinformation and faulty data.

Officials have accused the United States of foreign interference and called on Washington to support the country’s democracy instead of fomenting division.

Nigeria’s lack of senior diplomatic presence in Washington under President Bola Tinubu, and an absence of lobbyist support, has left it vulnerable to US President Donald Trump’s threat of military action over alleged Christian persecution in Africa’s most populous country.