Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has faulted the Federal Government over what it described as a failure in communication following reports of a United States military strike on terrorists’ assets linked to Nigeria.
This is according to a press statement signed by the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, and dated December 26, 2025.
The party expressed concern that Nigerians first learned of the operation through verified social media accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump and other American officials, before Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued what it called a vague and delayed response.
The PDP said the development raises serious questions about transparency, sovereignty, and the coordination framework governing Nigeria’s security cooperation with foreign partners.
What they are saying
According to the PDP, the Federal Government only offered a passive confirmation of its awareness and cooperation in the reported U.S. operation several hours after the information had already gone viral globally.
The party argued that this “inverted communication approach,” where foreign governments announce security operations on Nigerian soil before Nigerian authorities do, does not serve the interest of the country or its citizens.
“The Federal Government should have been the first to report the news in order to properly sensitize the Nigerian populace, instead of waiting to confirm news already in public circulation, unless they were taken unawares like the rest of the citizens,” the Party stated.
The PDP added that the situation creates the impression that the government may have been caught unawares, alongside the general public.
Concerns over sovereignty and past operations
The opposition party also referenced previous reports that the U.S. military had entered and conducted operations in Nigeria without the knowledge or approval of Nigerian authorities.
According to the PDP, this historical context makes the recent communication lapse even more troubling.
The party warned that such patterns could undermine public confidence in the government’s control over national security operations and weaken perceptions of Nigeria’s sovereignty.
- The PDP urged the Federal Government to review and strengthen its defence agreements with the United States to prioritise joint operations.
- According to the statement, such collaboration would promote intelligence sharing, capacity building, and experiential learning for Nigeria’s security forces.
- The party cautioned against reliance on what it described as fully externally led “precision attacks,” arguing that sustainable solutions to insecurity require deeper local involvement and institutional learning.
Backstory
The Federal Government of Nigeria had on Friday confirmed that it engaged and cooperated with the United States following its military airstrikes against terrorist targets in the country’s North West region.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, titled “Nigeria–United States Security Cooperation and Intelligence Collaboration Hits at Terrorist Targets in Nigeria.”
This confirmation, however, came hours after President Donald Trump had announced he authorized a “powerful and deadly strike” against an ISIS terrorist base in Northwest Nigeria.
The announcement was made via his Truth Social account, where he stated that the U.S. Department of War executed “numerous perfect strikes” targeting the extremists.
