US AIRSTRIKES UPDATE: Senator Tambuwal speaks as Sokoto residents recount moments explosions rocked communities
*What to know about the militants targeted by US airstrikes in northwest Nigeria – ABC
“I commend the courage and professionalism of our military and security forces, who continue to work tirelessly, often in collaboration with international partners, to confront terrorism and banditry under extremely challenging conditions. Their sacrifice and commitment to restoring peace and stability deserve our full support and cooperation,” said Senator Tambuwal
As reactions continue to trail the United States strikes on terrorists targets in Sokoto State, residents of the affected communities have been speaking.
Residents of Tangaza and Tambuwal Local Government Areas of Sokoto State have confirmed separate drone attacks on their communities, carried out by the United States military.
According to a media report, one of the attacks occurred in Jabo District of Tambuwal Local Government Area, a community previously not affected by insecurity.
Eyewitnesses said the incident caused widespread panic among residents.
A resident recounted that they were seated when they noticed an object resembling a small aircraft approaching the community.
“Shortly after, we heard a loud explosion and saw a huge ball of fire. Everyone was terrified. People rushed out of their houses with their families and started running in different directions,” the resident said.
According to him, some residents later went to the scene and discovered what appeared to be a bomb crater on a farmland.
“It created a very large hole, and fire was still burning. We thank God it did not fall on our houses and nobody was injured.
“We recovered some metal fragments and plan to hand them over to the local authorities for investigation.
“We are puzzled by the airstrike on our community because Jabo is not facing any security challenges.
“The last bandit attack we experienced was about two years ago, when some villages within our district were targeted,” the resident said.
A medical practitioner living in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the explosion occurred just a few metres behind her house, damaging the roof.
“It happened around 10 p.m. My family and I were indoors when we heard a loud blast behind the house. We rushed outside in fear. Later, we realised it was a drone strike. Thankfully, it did not hit our residence and no one was killed or injured, but we barely slept due to fear,” she said.
In Tangaza Local Government Area, residents also confirmed attacks on locations believed to be hideouts of the Lakurawa group.
A local government official, who requested anonymity, said the strikes occurred between 10 p.m. and midnight at Warriya and Alkasim villages.
“We are yet to ascertain the full impact of the attack, including whether there were civilian casualties. Security operatives are expected to visit the affected areas this morning to verify what happened,” the official said.
However, multiple sources, including local authorities, said no airstrikes were recorded in the eastern part of Sokoto State, which has experienced banditry for over a decade.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Senator Tambuwal’s appeal to constituents
Senator representing Sokoto South and former Governor of Sokoto State, Dr. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has spoken about the US airstrikes.
He said, “I have noted the reports concerning an airstrike carried out as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts through cooperation between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United States. I urge our communities to remain calm and law abiding as relevant authorities clarify the circumstances surrounding the operation.
“I wish to assure the people of Sokoto South that I am in active talks with relevant security authorities to obtain full details and ensure that all necessary safeguards are upheld.
“It is important to reassure the public that counterterrorism operations are targeted at criminal and terrorist elements who threaten our collective safety, and not at innocent civilians who are themselves victims of insecurity. The protection of civilian lives remains paramount and remains central to all legitimate security operations.
“I commend the courage and professionalism of our military and security forces, who continue to work tirelessly, often in collaboration with international partners, to confront terrorism and banditry under extremely challenging conditions. Their sacrifice and commitment to restoring peace and stability deserve our full support and cooperation.
“I also call on community leaders, traditional institutions, and residents to continue working closely with security agencies by sharing credible information and resisting misinformation that could heighten fear or tension.
“Together, through unity, vigilance, and support for lawful security efforts, we will overcome the forces of terror and secure lasting peace for Sokoto State and Nigeria at large. – AWT”, Senator Tambuwal said via X.
What to know about the militants targeted by US airstrikes in northwest Nigeria
The United States airstrikes that targeted Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria’s on Thursday marked a major escalation in an offensive that Nigeria’s overstretched military has struggled with for years.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that the “powerful and deadly” strikes in Sokoto state were carried out against Islamic State militants “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians.” Residents and security analysts have said Nigeria’s security crisis affects both Christians, predominant in the south, and Muslims, who are the majority in the north.
Nigeria, which is battling multiple armed groups, said the U.S. strikes were part of an exchange of intelligence and strategic coordination between the two countries.
The Associated Press could not confirm the extent of the strikes’ impact. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a post on X about the airstrikes, said: “More to come…”
The militants targeted by US airstrikes
The armed groups in Africa’s most populous country include at least two affiliated with the Islamic State — an offshoot of the Boko Haram extremist group known as the Islamic State West Africa Province in the northeast, and the lesser-known Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) known locally as Lakurawa and prominent in the northwest.
Although officials did not say exactly which group was targeted, security analysts said the target, if indeed against Islamic State militants, was likely members of Lakurawa, which became more lethal in border states like Sokoto and Kebbi in the last year, often targeting remote communities and security forces.
The Nigerian military has said in the past that the group has roots in neighboring Niger and that it became more active in Nigeria’s border communities following a 2023 military coup. That coup resulted in fractured relations between Nigeria and Niger, and affected their multinational military operations along the porous border.
Militants invited to provide security now torment villages
Multiple analysts have said Lakurawa has been active in northwest Nigeria since around 2017 when it was invited by traditional authorities in Sokoto to protect their communities from bandit groups.
The militants, however, “overstayed their welcome, clashing with some of the community leaders … and enforcing a harsh interpretation of sharia law that alienated much of the rural population,” according to James Barnett, an Africa researcher with the Washington-based Hudson Institute.
“Communities now openly say that Lakurawa are more oppressive and dangerous than the bandits they claim to protect them from,” according to Malik Samuel, a Nigerian security researcher with Good Governance Africa.
Lakurawa controls territories in Sokoto and Kebbi states, and has become known for killings, kidnapping, rape and armed robbery, Samuel said.
But some of the attacks blamed on Lakurawa are by the Islamic State Sahel Province, which has expanded from Niger’s Dosso region to northwestern Nigeria, according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
“ISSP has maintained a low profile, operating covertly to infiltrate and entrench itself along the Niger-Nigeria border, and is now also expanding its operations toward the Beninese border,” the project said in a recent report.
Nigeria’s insecurity is deep-rooted in social issues
The security woes are more of a governance problem than a military one.
Motives for attacks differ but the gangs are often driven by the near absence of a state and security presence in conflict hot spots, making recruitment easy. Those hot spots, data show, have some of the country’s highest levels of poverty, hunger and lack of jobs.
Nigeria’s Minister of Defense Christopher Musa once said in his past capacity as the defense chief that military action is only 30% of what is needed to fix the country’s security crisis, while the remaining 70% depends on good governance.
“The absence of the state in remote communities is making it easy for non-state actors to come in and present themselves to the people as the best alternative government,” said Samuel.
US strikes seen as crucial support for Nigeria’s military
Thursday’s U.S. strikes were seen as crucial help for Nigeria’s security forces, which are often overstretched and outgunned as they fight multiple security crises across different regions.
In states like Sokoto, the military often carries out airstrikes targeting militant hideouts and Nigeria has embarked on mass recruitment of security forces.
But analysts say military operations targeting the gangs are not usually sustained and the militants easily move on motorcycles to new locations through vast forests that connect several states in the north.
They also often use hostages — including schoolchildren — as cover, making airstrikes difficult.
