The African Democratic Congress has strongly criticised the December 25, 2025 airstrikes conducted by the United States Africa Command on suspected terrorist locations in Sokoto State, describing the development as deeply troubling.
The party said the strikes symbolised what it termed the historic incompetence of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly in addressing Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
While acknowledging the urgency of safeguarding lives and combating terrorism, the ADC argued that the involvement of foreign military forces on Nigerian soil represents a serious failure of governance.
According to the party, such actions raise fundamental concerns about national sovereignty, leadership capacity and long-term security planning. It maintained that permitting external powers to carry out direct military operations in Nigeria is neither sustainable nor in the country’s strategic interest.
The ADC also questioned the nature of Nigeria’s participation in what the federal government described as a “collaboration” with the United States.
It insisted that Nigeria should not be relegated to the role of an intelligence provider in an operation it ought to control. The party demanded full disclosure of the operational framework behind the airstrikes, including command authority, casualty figures, and the number and identities of terrorists reportedly neutralised.
Expressing further concern, the party warned against confusing genuine cooperation with what it described as a dangerous surrender of authority. It criticised the handling of public communication surrounding the airstrikes and voiced unease over what it called the persistent framing of Nigeria’s security crisis in religious terms by the United States, a narrative it said could undermine national unity.
In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said, “the African Democratic Congress (ADC) recognises the serious security challenges confronting Nigeria and affirms that the protection of Nigerian lives and the defeat of terrorism must remain a central national priority. We, therefore, support all lawful and effective measures aimed at saving lives and restoring security.
“Nevertheless, the ADC reiterates its long-standing opposition to the physical operation of foreign military forces on Nigerian soil. We must not allow our desperation today to compromise the sovereignty of our country in whatever form or guise.
“It is in this context that we accept the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) airstrikes on ‘terrorist locations’ in Sokoto State on Thursday, December 25, 2025, only as a desperate measure that must not be allowed to substitute for a Nigeria-led action against its domestic security challenges.
“As an anomaly, the action can only be justified in the context of the historic incompetence of the current administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in dealing with the nation’s security challenges. This is what happens when a government behaves as though governance is all about revenue collection and all other issues, including national security and diplomacy, could be treated as an afterthought.”
The party said it was particularly disturbed by how Nigerians became aware of the airstrikes, describing the communication process as careless and alarming given the sensitivity of the incident.
It stated: “The manner in which Nigerians were informed of this development is equally troubling. When it comes to politics and propaganda, the President addresses the nation directly. Yet, when faced with an issue as sensitive, momentous, and consequential as a foreign military strike on Nigerian soil, the primary source of information was a social media post by the American President, while the only information coming from Nigeria was from a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This reflects a frightening lack of awareness of the historic significance of this incident by the President of Nigeria.
“The ADC notes the statements by the Nigerian government about the collaborative role it has played in the operation by providing intelligence to the Americans and in managing the narratives around the airstrike. In other words, the Nigerian government merely played the role of an informant in an operation it should have led. We also wonder why Nigeria has allowed the United States government to persist in framing the security situation in sectional religious terms if indeed the relationship is collaborative.”
The ADC concluded that clarity was now essential and called on the federal government to provide detailed explanations on the true nature of Nigeria’s engagement with the United States over the airstrikes.
