The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed that it is aware of the recent United States airstrikes targeting terrorist elements in Sokoto State but has declined to disclose details of the operation.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Tuesday, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the police would not comment publicly on the strikes, describing them as a defence-related matter.
According to Hundeyin, the police are actively involved in intelligence gathering but are cautious about making sensitive information public.
“We engage a lot in intelligence gathering, not just intelligence sharing. As the Nigeria Police Force, we know certain things about the strikes, but we don’t want to talk about them,” he said.
“We decline to comment on that particular operation.”
He added that although there was inter-agency collaboration, the operation should be addressed by the appropriate defence authorities.
“There was cooperation, but we would rather leave it as a defence matter that the defence authorities would speak on,” Hundeyin stated.
The comments followed US airstrikes carried out in parts of Sokoto State on December 25, 2025.
The United States Department of Defence announced that the operation led to the killing of several ISIS fighters, adding that the strikes were conducted at the request of the Nigerian government.
US President Donald Trump also confirmed the operation in a post on his Truth Social platform, describing it as a decisive action against terrorist groups operating in northwest Nigeria. He claimed the militants had been responsible for attacks on civilians, particularly Christians.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, later confirmed that the Federal Government approved the strikes and provided intelligence support that enabled the operation.
He said the action was part of ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
“It is Nigeria that provided the intelligence,” Tuggar said.
“We are a multi-religious country, and our engagement with partners like the United States is strictly to combat terrorism and protect lives and property. It was not driven by religious considerations.”
The airstrikes came amid renewed international attention on Nigeria’s security situation, following the redesignation of the country by the US as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious persecution—a claim the Nigerian government has rejected.
Footage that later emerged showed multiple strikes carried out between December 24 and 25, 2025, with explosions destroying suspected terrorist hideouts and vehicles. The videos also captured suspected fighters fleeing after the initial bombardment.
