The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a sharp rebuke of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, labeling it a “historic incompetence” following the Christmas Day airstrikes carried out by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Sokoto State. While the Nigerian government frames the operation as a successful joint effort, the ADC views the direct kinetic intervention of foreign forces on Nigerian soil as a failure of national sovereignty and domestic security management.
In a statement released by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC cautioned that allowing external forces to conduct direct military operations is unsustainable and compromises Nigeria’s long-term strategic interests. The party questioned why Nigeria was reduced to “mere informants” in an operation it should have led, arguing that the country’s military should not be sidelined on its own territory. Furthermore, the ADC demanded immediate clarification on the exact level of operational control held by Nigeria, the specific identity and number of terrorists killed, and a full report on any potential civilian casualties or “collateral damage.”
The airstrikes, authorized by U.S. President Donald Trump, targeted ISIS camps in the Bauni forest of Sokoto between 00:12 and 01:30 WAT on December 25, 2025. The operation involved over a dozen Tomahawk missiles fired from the USS Paul Ignatius and MQ-9 Reaper drone munitions. While U.S. officials linked the strike to stopping the killing of Christians, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, clarified that it was a collaborative effort aimed at terrorists who target all Nigerians regardless of faith. He emphasized that the operation was the result of high-level coordination and intelligence sharing, describing it as a “new phase” in the fight against regional terrorism.
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