Nigeria provided the intelligence that led to the recent United States airstrike on terrorist targets within the country and formally approved the operation before it was executed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has said.
Tuggar disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television, a day after the United States confirmed it carried out an airstrike as part of its counter-terrorism operations in Nigeria.
According to the minister, the strike was the product of sustained security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States and was neither unilateral nor religiously motivated.
He explained that Nigeria initiated the intelligence process and maintained direct diplomatic engagement with Washington before the operation. Tuggar revealed that he held extended discussions with the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, prior to the strike and subsequently briefed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who gave formal approval.
He said both governments agreed that official statements following the operation would clearly reflect that the action was directed solely at terrorist elements and formed part of ongoing joint security efforts between the two countries.
Tuggar noted that Nigeria has consistently sought deeper collaboration with international partners in its fight against terrorism and described the strike as validation of the Tinubu administration’s security strategy.
He stressed that Nigeria’s counter-terrorism policy is anchored on cooperation with all partners committed to ending violence, regardless of religion, identity of victims or the ideological claims of terrorist groups.
According to him, the government remains focused on stopping the killing of innocent Nigerians and has continued to engage the United States and other allies to strengthen intelligence sharing and operational coordination.
The foreign affairs minister dismissed claims that the government had been slow or reluctant in confronting insecurity, saying the operation demonstrated clear political will and readiness to work with global partners to combat terrorism.
He further emphasised that the strike had nothing to do with religion, insisting that its sole objective was the protection of innocent lives, whether Nigerian or foreign.
Tuggar revealed that communication between Nigerian and US officials continued even after the initial approval, underscoring the level of coordination involved in the operation.
The United States President, Donald Trump, had earlier confirmed that US forces carried out the airstrike targeting suspected terrorist elements in Nigeria.
US officials said the operation was conducted based on shared intelligence and in close coordination with Nigeria’s government, as part of broader efforts to degrade extremist groups operating in parts of the country.
