Abduljelil IssaThe Federal Government of Nigeria has confirmed that it provided military intelligence that enabled the airstrikes carried out by the United States in Sokoto State and other parts of northern Nigeria.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television.
Tuggar said Nigerian authorities were in direct communication with the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, both before and during the operation.
According to the minister, Nigeria remains committed to collaborating with all partners, including the United States, to tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality, while preventing the loss of innocent lives.
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“It was Nigeria that provided intelligence for the US strike in Nigeria. We spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio twice: once 19 minutes before the strike and another time 5 minutes before it went on,” he said.
During the interview, Tuggar described the airstrike as a joint operation between Nigeria and the United States.
He further confirmed that President Bola Tinubu approved the operation before the missiles were launched, stressing that it was not directed at any religion or ethnic group.
“Now that the US is cooperating, we would do it jointly, and we would ensure, just as the President emphasised yesterday before he gave the go-ahead, that it must be made clear that it is a joint operation, and it is not targeting any religion nor simply in the name of one religion or the other.
“We are a multi-religious country, and we are working with partners like the US to fight terrorism and safeguard the lives and properties of Nigerians,” the minister said.
Watch the interview below:
The US airstrike has dominated discussions across Nigeria’s media space and online platforms, with citizens and analysts expressing differing views. One of the commentators, Sheikh Gumi, criticised the strike and urged the government to immediately suspend all joint military cooperation with the United States.
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