The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed it has intelligence regarding the recent United States airstrikes that targeted terrorist elements in Sokoto State but has declined to disclose specifics, saying the operation falls within the responsibility of defence authorities.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi (represented on air by Benjamin Hundeyin), made this known on Tuesday during Channels Television’s Politics Today. Hundeyin said the police were actively involved in intelligence gathering and collaboration but would not comment publicly on the details of the operation.
We engage a lot in intelligence gathering, not just intelligence sharing. As the Police Force, we know certain things about the strikes, but we don’t want to talk about them,” Hundeyin said.
“This is an operation that involved collaboration with other agencies, and issues like that are better addressed by the defence authorities.”
The airstrikes, carried out on December 25, 2025, were confirmed by the United States Department of Defense, which said the operation killed “multiple ISIS terrorists” in northern Nigeria. According to U.S. officials, the strikes were conducted at the request of the Nigerian government as part of ongoing counterterrorism cooperation.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the operation on his Truth Social platform, describing it as “numerous perfect strikes” aimed at eliminating what he termed “radical Islamic terrorism.” Trump alleged that the militants had been targeting innocent Christians and vowed severe consequences for terrorist activities.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, later confirmed that Nigeria approved the strikes and provided intelligence support. Speaking on Boxing Day, Tuggar said the operation was based on Nigerian intelligence and formed part of a broader counterterrorism partnership with the United States.
It’s Nigeria that provided the intelligence,” Tuggar said, dismissing claims that the operation had a religious motive.
“We are a multi-religious country, working with partners like the U.S. to fight terrorism and safeguard Nigerians.”
The airstrikes came shortly after Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, citing what he described as an “existential threat” to Christians—an assertion strongly rejected by the Nigerian government, which maintains that its counterterrorism efforts are not religiously motivated but focused on national security.
Authorities have continued to emphasize inter-agency cooperation in tackling terrorism, while maintaining discretion over sensitive operational details.
