THE United States’ announcement of military strikes against what it described as ISIS targets in Nigeria’s Sokoto State has triggered debate, raising questions about the location of the strike and the nature of armed groups operating in northwestern Nigeria.

In a statement issued on December 25, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on X that it carried out strikes “against ISIS terrorists in Nigeria” in Sokoto State. AFRICOM said the operation was conducted at the direction of the US President and the Secretary of War, and in coordination with Nigerian authorities. Nigerian officials later confirmed cooperation with the US, describing the action as part of ongoing counterterrorism collaboration.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, speaking on Channels Television on December 26, framed the development as a continuation of existing security efforts rather than a significant policy shift. “You can call it a new phase of an old conflict,” the minister said, adding that Nigeria remained open to working with the US and other partners willing to support its fight against terrorism.

“It’s an ongoing thing. We are working with the US, we are working with other countries as well,” Tuggar said, adding, “For all those that are prepared to work with us to combat terrorism and ensure security in our region and in Nigeria itself, we are ready to cooperate, we are ready to collaborate.”

The ICIR reports that the reported location of the strike, Sokoto State, has emerged as a central point of contention on social media.

Questions over the strike location and ISIS claims

The US President Donald Trump framed the strike in explicitly religious terms, claiming the targeted fighters had been “viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.” This characterisation has raised questions when viewed against the geographic and demographic realities of Sokoto State, which is one of Nigeria’s most predominantly Muslim states and a historic centre of Islamic leadership. While violence in northwestern Nigeria has affected communities of different faiths, there is no clear public record of sustained, religion-targeted killings of Christians in Sokoto at scale.

The assertion of an active ISIS campaign in Sokoto has also been questioned. Armed groups operating in the northwest are largely identified as bandit or jihadist networks, with no confirmed structured ISIS presence in the state.

Security analyst Malik Samuel, who recently returned from fieldwork in Sokoto and neighboring states, said the ISIS label was often used loosely to describe jihadist violence in the region.

“When people talk about ISIS operating in Sokoto and the North-West, they don’t mean ISWAP, which is prevalent in North-East Nigeria,” Samuel said. “What they are often referring to is Lakurawa. A lot of analysts have claimed Lakurawa is linked to Islamic State Sahel, but that is clearly not the case,” he added.

Samuel said he conducted field research in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina about two months ago, with particular focus on Lakurawa activity in Sokoto and Kebbi. “The group is clearly not linked to the Islamic State; it is more closely aligned with Al-Qaeda–linked networks,” he argued.

Samuel, a senior researcher at Good Governance Africa, stressed, however, that mislabeling the group did not mean there were no jihadist threats in the area.

“This does not mean there are no terrorist or jihadist organisations operating. Lakurawa is an Islamist group that seeks the full implementation of Sharia in areas where it operates, but describing it as an ISIS affiliate is inaccurate,” he said.

Disputed impact of the strike

Samuel also reacted to comments suggesting no confirmed targets were hit in Jabo village, Tambuwal Local Government Area (LGA), one of the reported strike locations.

“If you look at where the strike happened, Tambuwal LGA, in a village called Jabo, groups like Lakurawa do not have a base there,” he said, noting further that “They have only a nominal presence, meaning fighters pass through but do not establish camps. Their main bases are in forested areas around Gudu, Tangaza, and Kware LGAs, certainly not Tambuwal.”

He said the skepticism surrounding the strike was understandable but noted it was possible a targeted individual might have been temporarily present in the area at the time of the strike.

Samuel added that information from his sources indicated the strikes were not limited to Tambuwal alone but also extended to Isa and Tangaza LGAs in Sokoto State.

“So, the operation was not confined to Tambuwal,” he said.

Nigeria’s capacity on strike campaigns

Responding to social media claims that Nigeria did not require US support to conduct such operations due to the recent record of precision airstrikes, including support provided to Benin Republic during a coup attempt, Samuel said, “Nigeria has been carrying out strikes.

“There were strikes last week, two weeks ago, and even before that, following the abduction of schoolgirls from Maga in Kebbi State. There have been operations in Kebbi, Niger, and Sokoto states,” he said.

He explained that frequent strikes had led to constant relocation of Lakurawa fighters to evade detection. “The question should be whether Nigeria could have said no to the US,” Samuel said. “Nigeria could have carried out these strikes and has been doing so. A lot of Lakurawa fighters have been killed in Niger and Kebbi states in the last three weeks,” he reasoned further.

Meanwhile, reports also circulated online suggesting explosions which occurred in Offa, Kwara State, over 600 kilometres – using google map – from Sokoto were linked to the US strike. Sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed only strike within Sokoto State.

The ICIR gathered that explosions were reported around midnight on Christmas Day at two locations in Offa town. Eyewitnesses said the first blast occurred near the Eid praying ground area, while a second was recorded near Solid Worth Hotel, about five minutes away. Residents said an undetonated explosive device was later discovered at the second location, prompting security agencies to cordon off the area.

As of the time of filing this report, authorities had not officially confirmed the exact cause or source of the explosions. Confirming awareness of the incident, the Chief Press Secretary to the Executive Chairman of Offa Local Government, Abiola Azeez Babatunde, said the council was monitoring developments following reports circulating online.

In a statement on Friday, Babatunde described the incident as a “suspected ordinance-related occurrence” around the Offa Yidi praying ground on December 25, 2025, adding that affected areas had been secured to allow for a thorough investigation.