A recent joint operation between the United States and Nigeria against an extremist militant group in northern Nigeria has intensified political debate in both countries, particularly as Washington and Abuja offer sharply different public narratives about the motivations behind the strike.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social‑media post that there was “more to come,” without elaborating, and expressed gratitude for Abuja’s cooperation, saying he was “grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation.”
Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told CNN on Friday that he had spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio prior to the operation and confirmed that President Bola Tinubu personally gave the “go ahead.” Tuggar emphasized that the mission should not be interpreted through a religious lens.
“This is not about religion. It is about Nigerians, innocent civilians, and the wider region as a whole,” Tuggar said.
The strike also comes amid heightened rhetoric from President Donald Trump, who has for months focused on the plight of Christians in Nigeria. He has repeatedly warned that the United States would intervene if attacks on Christian communities continued. In November, he called on Hegseth to “prepare for possible action” and said the US would enter Nigeria “guns‑a‑blazing” to protect Christian populations.
On Thursday evening, Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.”
He continued:
“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper. May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
Trump is spending the Christmas holiday at his estate in Palm Beach.
The operation has also drawn reactions from Nigerian political figures. Asukwo Mendie Archibong, an international attorney and 2019 presidential candidate, welcomed the strikes, saying he supports any action that “ends terrorism in the country once and for all.” However, he sharply criticized the Nigerian government for what he described as years of failure to decisively confront extremist violence, arguing that the persistence of terrorism reflects “a long-standing inability of the state to protect its citizens.”
Tuggar, when asked about Trump’s comments and broader political reactions, declined to engage directly.
“We’re not going to dwell or pour over forensically on what has been said – or what hasn’t been said,” he told CNN, stressing that Nigeria’s focus is “to fight against terrorism, to stop the terrorists from killing innocent Nigerians, be (they) Muslim, Christian, atheist, whatever religion.”
He also highlighted the broader security challenges facing West Africa, particularly in the Sahel region, which has seen the fastest growth in violent extremist activity on the continent. Tuggar noted that the demographics of the region contradict attempts to frame the conflict as a religious war.
“When you talk about the Sahel, (the) majority are Muslims. They’re not Christians,” he said.
Security analysts say the joint strike reflects growing urgency among regional governments and international partners to contain militant networks that have expanded across porous borders, destabilizing communities from Nigeria to Mali.
While details of the operation remain limited, both Washington and Abuja have signaled that further coordinated actions may follow. Nigerian officials continue to emphasize that the fight is against violent extremism—not any religious group—and that protecting civilians remains the central priority.
