The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, says the United States military airstrikes in parts of the North-West did not violate Nigeria’s sovereignty or territorial integrity.
Tuggar maintained this stance on Friday in an interview with the CNN, stressing that the operation was fully authorised by the Federal Government.
The minister insisted that operation was a joint, collaborative effort between Nigeria and the US, approved at the highest level of government by President Bola Tinubu.
“We collaborated on this attack. It was a collaborative effort between Nigeria and the US, and President Tinubu gave the go-ahead before it took place, and we don’t see it violating our sovereignty or territorial integrity, which is very important,” the minister said.
He reiterated that Nigeria’s cooperation with the US was driven solely by the need to combat terrorism and protect lives, not by external pressure or religious considerations.
The minister further noted that the Federal Government remains firmly in control of decisions concerning its territory and security operations.
News reports that the US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that US forces conducted deadly strikes against Islamic State terrorists in northwestern Nigeria, and vowed more attacks if the militants keep killing Christians.
In a post on his Truth Social, Trump said the Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes.