FG Confirms Joint US–Nigeria Airstrikes on ISIS Camps in Sokoto

Sixteen US GPS-guided munitions deployed in overnight operation authorized by President Tinubu

The Federal Government has confirmed that the United States, in coordination with Nigerian security forces, carried out precision airstrikes on Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist enclaves in Sokoto State, deploying 16 GPS-guided munitions during the operation.

According to a statement issued on Friday by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the strikes were executed using MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms as part of a joint counterterrorism effort between Nigeria and the United States.

The operation, which took place between 12:12 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Friday, December 26, 2025, targeted two major ISIS camps located within the Bauni forest axis of Tangaza Local Government Area. Idris said intelligence reports confirmed that the sites were being used as staging grounds by foreign ISIS fighters infiltrating Nigeria from the Sahel region in collaboration with local affiliates.

He disclosed that the strikes were authorised by President Bola Tinubu and conducted under Nigeria’s established command and control structures, with the full involvement of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and oversight from the Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Chief of Defence Staff.

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While debris from expended munitions reportedly fell in Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and in Offa, Kwara State, near a hotel premises, the minister stressed that no civilian casualties were recorded. He added that security agencies promptly secured the affected areas.

FG’s Statement on the strikes

The disclosure follows comments earlier on Friday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who confirmed that President Tinubu approved the US strikes and emphasised that the operation was jointly executed, not religiously motivated.

Tuggar noted that Nigeria’s partnership with the United States is aimed at strengthening efforts to combat terrorism and protect lives and property across the country.

Reaffirming the government’s position, Idris said the operation successfully neutralised the targeted ISIS elements and underscored Nigeria’s resolve to confront transnational terrorist threats seeking to undermine national security.

He assured Nigerians that the government remains fully in control of the country’s security architecture and urged citizens to remain calm and vigilant as coordinated actions against terrorist groups continue.