By Ayomide Otitoju
The Federal Government has confirmed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved recent United States airstrikes against terrorist targets in Nigeria’s North-West region, describing the operation as a joint effort coordinated with Nigerian authorities.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, disclosed this on Friday, hours after the US Department of Defense and President Donald Trump announced that American forces had carried out strikes against terrorist elements in Nigeria.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Tuggar said the operation was conducted in collaboration with Nigeria and was neither unilateral nor targeted at any religion. He stressed that the President had insisted the action be clearly identified as a joint operation.
“Now that the US is cooperating, we are doing it jointly, and it was made clear, as the President emphasised before giving his approval, that this operation is not targeting any religion,” Tuggar said. “Nigeria is a multi-religious country, and we are working with partners like the United States to fight terrorism and protect the lives and property of Nigerians.”
Addressing concerns that the strikes could amount to a breach of Nigeria’s sovereignty, the minister dismissed such claims, stating that the Federal Government would not endorse any action that undermines the country’s territorial integrity.
“It is a collaboration. This is what we have been calling for,” Tuggar said, adding that Nigeria provided intelligence that informed the operation. He revealed that he held discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio prior to the strikes and subsequently sought President Tinubu’s approval. According to him, further communication took place shortly before the operation was executed.
On Thursday, the US Department of Defense said several ISIS-linked terrorists were killed in the strikes, which it said were carried out at the request of the Nigerian government. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also confirmed that the strikes, which reportedly occurred in Sokoto State, were conducted in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
President Trump announced the operation on social media, describing it as part of the United States’ broader efforts to combat terrorism. The Pentagon later released a short video clip showing footage of an airstrike in Nigeria, although specific operational details were not disclosed.
The strikes come weeks after President Trump raised concerns about violence in Nigeria, particularly against Christians, and returned the country to the US list of “Countries of Particular Concern,” alongside the imposition of visa restrictions on Nigerians.
However, Nigerian authorities have consistently rejected the characterisation of the country’s security challenges as religiously motivated, maintaining that victims of violence cut across different faiths and communities nationwide.
