NIGERIANS have reacted to US strikes targeting terrorists and their allies in Sokoto State.
The ICIR reported that United States President Donald Trump said his country’s forces carried out “powerful and deadly” strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) elements operating in North-Western Nigeria on Christmas Day – December 25.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attacks targeted terrorist elements through collaboration with the US as part of “structured security cooperation with international partners to address terrorism and violent extremism in the country.”
Similarly, the Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, a major general, said the operation demonstrated the Federal Government’s resolve, in collaboration with strategic international partners, to confront transnational terrorism and prevent foreign fighters from gaining a foothold in Nigeria.
Uba said in a statement on Friday that the operation was based on credible intelligence and designed to weaken the terrorists’ operational capacity while minimising collateral damage.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria, in conjunction with the United States of America, has successfully conducted precision strike operations against identified foreign ISIS-linked elements operating in parts of North-West Nigeria,” Uba said.
According to him, the strikes were carried out with the approval of the relevant authorities as part of ongoing efforts to eliminate terrorists and other criminal elements posing a threat to national security.
Former senator Shehu Sani is among eminent Nigerians who welcomed the development.
He, however, cautioned that Nigeria must not outsource its security responsibilities to foreign powers.
Sani made the remarks on Friday via his verified X handle.
“It’s a conscious action. Terrorists have become cancerous cells in our part of the country. They live by the sword. The narrative that the evil terrorists only target one faith remains absolutely false and misleading,” he wrote.
However, he cautioned against excessive dependence on foreign military intervention, stressing that enduring peace could only be achieved through internal efforts.
“Again, the ultimate security and peace in our country lies with ourselves and not with the US or any foreign power,” he said, adding, “They can complementarily or unilaterally strike, but they can’t eternally fight our battles.”
A former presidential candidate and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, in a post on X said the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government was unaware of the strike.
“Although the Nigerian government now claims it was aware and describes the operation as a joint effort with vague “international partners,” it is evident that the strikes were carried out without the genuine authority or informed consent of the weaklings masquerading as government under President Bola Tinubu @officialABAT,” he wrote.
“My position remains unchanged. Judging by the nature of the confirmed strike on a village in Sokoto, it is clear that the US President under whose authority this operation occurred neither understands nor genuinely cares about Nigeria or Nigerians,” he added.
He noted that the situation highlighted a broader issue of incompetent leadership, which he said reduced the nation to a bystander in the face of challenges confronting it.
“It is deeply troubling that Nigeria (Africa’s most populous nation) lacks the capable and sovereign leadership required to protect its people and its territory. As a result, the country has been reduced to a bystander while its sovereignty is violated under the direction of U.S. President, Sowore noted further.
Similarly, Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi in a post on Facebook on Friday, argued that annihilating terrorists is an Islamic obligation, citing the Prophet Muhammad’s wish to destroy such groups.
Describing the attacks as potentially polarising and detrimental to national sovereignty, he stressed that such action should be undertaken by “clean, holy hands” rather than foreign powers whom he said shared same values with terrorists.
He urged the Federal Government to end all bilateral relationships with the US.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.