Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has said Nigeria could not reasonably reject assistance from the United States in the fight against terrorism.
Minister Keyamo made the statement on X on Saturday while responding to public debate over the Christmas Day airstrikes carried out in parts of Sokoto State.
He defended the Federal Government’s decision to partner with the United States in launching attacks against terrorist targets.
The minister said Nigerians should focus more on efforts to rid the country, particularly the North, of terrorists rather than questioning the collaboration.
He likened the situation to a burning house, saying it would be wrong to stop anyone with fire extinguishers from helping.
“When your house is on fire, it would be stupid to prevent anyone who has fire extinguishers to come into your house and put out the fire,” the minister said.
He added that it would be unwise for anyone to prioritise concerns about privacy when lives were at risk and families faced danger from ongoing attacks.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has confirmed that the airstrikes against Islamic State terrorist elements in Sokoto State were approved by President Bola Tinubu.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday night.
He said the operation was conducted in close coordination with the United States government and targeted two major ISIS enclaves in the Bauni forest axis of Tangaza Local Government Area.
According to Minister Idris, intelligence reports showed that the locations were being used by foreign ISIS elements infiltrating Nigeria from the Sahel region, working with local affiliates.
He said the terrorist cells were planning and carrying out large scale attacks within Nigerian territory.
The minister said the precision strikes took place between 12:12 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Friday, December 26, after explicit approval by the president.
According to him, the operation followed established command and control structures and involved the Nigerian Armed Forces under the supervision of the ministers of defence and foreign affairs, as well as the chief of defence staff.
In the statement, the government said the strikes were launched from maritime platforms in the Gulf of Guinea after extensive intelligence gathering, planning and reconnaissance.
It added that 16 GPS guided precision munitions were deployed using MQ 9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms, which neutralised the targeted ISIS elements attempting to enter Nigeria through the Sahel corridor.
The government also confirmed that debris from expended munitions fell in Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State and in Offa, Kwara State, near a hotel.
It said no civilian casualties were recorded and that security agencies promptly secured the affected areas.
The Federal Government reiterated its resolve to confront and eliminate terrorist threats, particularly those posed by transnational extremist networks.
It said Nigeria remained aligned with its strategic partners in pursuing coordinated actions to ensure peace, border security and regional stability.
The government assured Nigerians that it remained in control of the national security architecture and committed to protecting lives and property, urging citizens to remain calm and vigilant.
