The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has disclosed that Nigeria provided the intelligence that led to the recent United States airstrike on terrorist targets in the country and formally approved the operation before it was carried out.
Tuggar made the disclosure on Friday during an interview on Channels Television, a day after the United States confirmed it had conducted an airstrike in Nigeria as part of its counter-terrorism operations.
According to the minister, the strike was a product of sustained security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States and was not motivated by religious considerations, as speculated in some quarters.
He explained that he held extensive discussions with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, ahead of the operation and subsequently sought approval from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“It’s Nigeria that provided the intelligence. I was on the phone yesterday for 19 minutes with Secretary of State Marco Rubio of the United States. We spoke extensively, and we agreed that I was going to speak with President Tinubu for him to give the go-ahead,” Tuggar said.
He added that the Nigerian government also agreed with the US on the nature of the public statements that followed the strike to make it clear that the operation was strictly against terrorism and part of ongoing joint security efforts.
Tuggar described the operation as a vindication of the Tinubu administration’s security strategy, stressing that Nigeria has consistently sought deeper collaboration with international partners to combat terrorism.
“Nigeria has remained consistent in its approach, which is to work with all partners committed to fighting terrorism, irrespective of religion, the identity of the victims, or the nature of the terror. This is an ongoing process,” he said.
The minister dismissed claims that the strike targeted any religious group, noting that both Muslims and Christians
have been victims of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.
“It is not about religion. It is about protecting Nigerians and innocent lives, whether Nigerian or non-Nigerian,” he stated.
US President Donald Trump had on Thursday confirmed that American forces carried out airstrikes against suspected terrorist elements in Nigeria. US officials said the operation was conducted based on shared intelligence and in coordination with the Nigerian government.
Although the United States has long supported Nigeria through intelligence sharing and military assistance, direct US airstrikes on Nigerian territory are rare and have attracted significant public attention.
Nigeria has for years grappled with multiple security challenges, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgency in the North-East, as well as widespread banditry and terror attacks in the North-West, which have resulted in thousands of deaths and mass displacement.
