ABUJA, Nigeria (FN) — President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States carried out a deadly strike on ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria has intensified political debate across the country, as critics warn the operation risks undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty amid a surge in global extremist violence.
Trump said the strike targeted ISIS fighters responsible for attacks on Christian communities. U.S. Africa Command confirmed the operation was conducted at Nigeria’s request, though the government has not publicly detailed the extent of its cooperation.
The announcement comes as Islamic State–linked violence has escalated worldwide. On Dec. 14, two gunmen inspired by ISIS ideology opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, killing 15 people in what Australian authorities described as the country’s deadliest terrorist attack in decades. Officials said the attackers, a father and son, had recently traveled to the Philippines, where ISIS maintains a stronghold.
In Syria, U.S. forces have faced renewed threats from ISIS remnants, including recent attacks that killed American military personnel. The incidents have prompted Washington to intensify counterterrorism operations across multiple regions.
In Nigeria, prominent Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi condemned the U.S. strike and urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend all military cooperation with Washington. Gumi called the operation “a profound disrespect” to Nigeria’s sovereignty and warned that allowing foreign powers to conduct strikes on Nigerian soil risked weakening the country’s authority.
“For Trump to threaten a sovereign country with military attack is a profound disrespect to our authority,” Gumi wrote, arguing that Nigeria must not appear subservient to foreign governments.
The backlash revived long‑standing sensitivities in northern Nigeria, where foreign military involvement has historically been viewed with suspicion. Former President Muhammadu Buhari, while serving as an opposition leader in 2013, famously argued that “an attack on Boko Haram is an attack on the North,” a remark that critics say continues to shape regional perceptions of counterterrorism operations.
Supporters of the U.S.–Nigeria cooperation countered that the country’s overstretched military has struggled to contain ISIS‑West Africa and Boko Haram, and that American intelligence and airpower remain critical to preventing further attacks.
The strike reportedly took place in Sokoto state, near the border with Niger, an area where ISIS‑aligned cells have expanded operations in recent years, according to CNN reporting. AFRICOM said multiple militants were killed, though no casualty figures have been independently verified.
The Tinubu administration has not responded directly to Gumi’s accusations, and it remains unclear whether the government will reassess its security partnership with Washington.
