Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has disclosed that Nigeria approved and provided intelligence support for the Christmas Day airstrikes carried out by the United States military on terrorist targets in Sokoto State.
Tuggar made the disclosure on Friday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
His comments follow confirmation by United States President Donald Trump that he authorised a powerful and deadly strike against an ISIS terrorist base in north-west Nigeria.
What Tuggar is saying
According to the minister, the operation was conducted with Nigeria’s full cooperation and did not violate the country’s sovereignty.
“It’s Nigeria that provided the intelligence,” Tuggar said.
He stressed that the strikes were strictly counter-terrorism operations and were not directed at any religious group.
Tuggar revealed that he personally sought and obtained President Bola Tinubu’s approval before the operation was carried out, following extensive consultations with the United States.
“I was on the phone yesterday for 19 minutes with the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, of the United States. We spoke extensively, and we agreed that I was going to speak with President Tinubu, for President Tinubu to give the go-ahead,” he said.
“And I did speak with him, and it was agreed also that the statements that would follow would be statements that would show clearly that it is a strike against terrorism and that it is part of the ongoing collaboration between Nigeria and the United States.”
He added that the discussions made it clear the operation was focused on protecting lives.
“And that it is not to do with religion; it is to do with protecting Nigerians and innocent lives of either Nigerians or non-Nigerians. This was clear. We spoke twice.
“We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike and then we spoke again for another five minutes before it went on.”
Nigeria committed to global counter-terrorism efforts
The foreign affairs minister said Nigeria remains consistent in working with all partners committed to fighting terrorism, regardless of religion or identity of the victims.
“Nigeria has remained consistent in its approach to work with all partners that are committed to the fight against terrorism, irrespective of what religion, who the victims are, whether they are Muslims or Christians, and irrespective of what type of terrorism,” Tuggar said.
He added that the collaboration also extends to tackling banditry and other violent crimes.
“So this is an ongoing process,” he noted.
Responding to claims of inaction
Addressing concerns in some quarters that Nigeria had been slow in taking offensive action against terrorists, Tuggar said the government has been working closely with the United States and other international partners.
“We have been working closely with the Americans. This is what we’ve always been hoping for — to work with the Americans, work with other countries to combat terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians,” he said.
According to him, the strike validates the Tinubu administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity.
“So this is a vindication of the Tinubu administration. For those who thought that there was some foot-dragging or that the government wasn’t doing enough, it is a clear indication that we are committed and we are prepared to work with all countries,” Tuggar added.
More strikes to come
President Donald Trump’s Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, warned of further US strikes against ISIS targets in Nigeria.
The US military said that camps by the group in Sokoto state, near the border with Niger, were hit during the strikes, with an initial assessment suggesting “multiple fatalities”.
Hegseth said in a post on X: “The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. The @DeptofWar is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas.”
The defense secretary added, “Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”
He then wrote: “More to come…”
He confirmed that the strike was carried out at the direction of the President of the United States and in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
What you should know
According to his Truth Social post, Trump said the strike was executed as only the United States is capable of doing, and vowed the country would not allow radical Islamic terrorism to prosper.
This latest strike follows repeated warnings from President Trump over alleged religiously motivated violence in Nigeria.
In November, Trump publicly threatened military intervention and directed the U.S. Department of Defense to prepare for potential action in Nigeria.
