US Airstrikes: “It’s Nigeria That Provided the Intelligence” — Tuggar

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, says the United States carried out its Christmas Day airstrikes in Nigeria with the full knowledge, intelligence support, and authorisation of the Nigerian government.

Speaking on Friday during an interview with Channels Television, Tuggar said Nigerian officials were in direct contact with the US government in the hours leading up to the operation.

According to him, Nigeria provided the intelligence used for the strikes, and final approval came from President Bola Tinubu after consultations between both countries.

Tuggar disclosed that he held a 19-minute telephone conversation with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on Thursday, followed by another call about five minutes before the strikes were executed.

“It’s Nigeria that provided the intelligence,” the minister said. “I was on the phone for 19 minutes with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. We discussed the matter extensively and agreed that I would speak with President Bola Tinubu to give the go-ahead. I did so, and he approved.”

The foreign affairs minister said Nigeria’s cooperation with the United States reflects its broader policy of working with any international partner committed to combating terrorism, without regard to religion or the identity of victims.

“Nigeria has remained consistent in its approach, which is to work with all partners committed to the fight against terrorism, irrespective of religion—whether the victims are Muslims or Christians—or the type of terrorism involved,” he said.

Tuggar added that Nigeria has continued to work closely with the US and other countries on counterterrorism efforts, noting that the airstrikes demonstrate the Tinubu administration’s approach to addressing insecurity.

“We have been working closely with the Americans and other countries to fight terrorism. This shows that the Tinubu administration is taking action and is prepared to work with all relevant partners,” he said.

He also stated that both governments agreed on the wording of the public statement issued after the strikes, to make clear that the operation targeted terrorist elements and was not religiously motivated.

“We agreed that the statement following the strike would make it clear that the operation was against terrorism and had nothing to do with religion,” Tuggar said.