The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticized the Federal Government for failing to announce recent United States airstrikes in Nigeria before they were disclosed by US President Donald Trump.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Thursday to announce that the United States had carried out airstrikes in North-West Nigeria, during which several terrorists were killed. The Nigerian government later confirmed the development, saying the operation was conducted in collaboration with the US.
Reacting on Friday, PDP spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, said the Federal Government should have briefed Nigerians ahead of the announcement by US authorities, warning that the delay raised concerns about the handling of sensitive security information.
“The Federal Government should have been the first to report the news in order to properly sensitize the Nigerian populace, instead of waiting to confirm news already in public circulation, unless they were taken unawares like the rest of the citizens,” Ememobong said in a statement.
The opposition party said it was deeply concerned by what it described as a “passive confirmation” of Nigeria’s knowledge and cooperation in the operation, noting that it was troubling for foreign powers to announce security operations in Nigeria before the country’s own authorities.
According to the PDP, such an approach does not serve the interest of either the government or Nigerians, particularly against the backdrop of reports that US forces had previously entered and operated in Nigeria without the permission or knowledge of the government.
In his post, Trump said the US Department of War had executed “numerous perfect strikes,” declaring that under his leadership, the United States would not allow “radical Islamic terrorism” to prosper. He did not provide specific details of the operation, which was reported to have taken place in Sokoto State, weeks after he described the situation facing Christians in Nigeria as an “existential threat.”
The US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, later said the operation was carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, also confirmed the collaboration, stating that Nigerian authorities approved the airstrikes and provided intelligence support. He said discussions were held with senior US officials before President Bola Tinubu gave approval for the operation, stressing that it was a joint effort and not targeted at any religion.
