Nigerians need to know number of terrorists killed by US airstrikes –ADC

By KEMI KASUMU

The ADC, which spoke after Nurudeen Aro, a public affairs analyst, said during a News Hour interview on Trust TV in Abuja Friday night that knowing the number of terrorists killed will be the only way to change his perspective about the official misinformation, described the December 25, 2025 United States airstrikes in Sokoto State as a consequence of what it called the incompetence of the present administration, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know how many terrorists were killed.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has joined the growing number of Nigerians asking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his government to tell Nigerians how many terrorists were killed as claimed by his administration and United States of America’s President Donald Trump in their separate statements on Friday December 26, 2025.

The ADC, which spoke after Nurudeen Aro, a public affairs analyst, said during a News Hour interview on Trust TV in Abuja Friday night that knowing the number of terrorists killed will be the only way to change his perspective about the official misinformation, described the December 25, 2025 United States airstrikes in Sokoto State as a consequence of what it called the incompetence of the present administration, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know how many terrorists were killed.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC), while welcoming lawful efforts to protect the lives of Nigerians, blamed what it described as “the failure of governance under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the unprecedented military attack carried out by a foreign army on Nigerian soil.”

It warned that “permitting external forces to carry out direct military operations in the country is not sustainable and potentially undermines Nigeria’s strategic interests in the long run.”

In a statement on Friday, the party also questioned Nigeria’s actual role in the “collaboration,” insisting that Nigeria should not be “mere informants” in an operation that it should be leading.

The statement, signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the party, also demanded “clarifications on operational control, casualties, and specific information about the number and identity of actual terrorists that were killed in the operation.”

The party cautioned against confusing “collaboration” with what it called “myopic surrender,” and expressed concern over government’s handling of information surrounding the operation and the persistent framing of the war against terror in religious terms by the U.S., which it said ultimately endangers Nigeria’s national unity.

Recognising the serious security challenges confronting Nigeria, the party affirmed that the protection of Nigerian lives and the defeat of terrorism must remain a central national priority.

The statement read, “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 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 faulted the role played by the Nigerian government in the operation, demanding explanation on the terms of engagement in the “collaboration.”

ADC said, 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.

“We therefore demand from the government a clear explanation of the role of Nigeria and the terms of engagement in this ‘collaboration.’ What level of operational control did Nigerian security forces exercise? How many terrorists were actually neutralised? If Nigeria possessed the intelligence that it could pass on to the United States to guide this operation, why was the country unable to lead the mission, despite the trillions of naira spent over the years on security?

“What special skills or technology did this operation require that Nigeria does not possess? What are the immediate outcomes of the strike, and how many more such strikes should we expect?”

The party warned that there is a difference between strategic collaboration and “myopic surrender that is ultimately counter-productive to national security and inimical to the long-term sovereign interests of Nigeria”, saying that what they saw is that “President Tinubu has outsourced his most important constitutional responsibility, effectively taking a back seat in a vehicle he is constitutionally assigned to drive.

“When the President of Nigeria appears compelled to report himself to another head of state, even tagging a foreign President in a Christmas Day message, Nigerians are entitled to ask who is truly in charge of their country.

“Let us be clear. The ADC supports the fight against terrorism and will support any genuine effort to secure the nation. However, we are deeply disturbed by the long-term implications of this incident for Nigeria’s sovereignty, strategic autonomy, and self-respect.

“No one would believe that a single strike on one location can end a war of this nature. Therefore, what matters now is the direction the government intends to take going forward. But it must start by answering the critical questions that this attack has thrown up.”