Former presidential candidate and activist Omoyele Sowore has criticised the United States’ military airstrike on suspected Islamic State (ISIS) fighters in northwest Nigeria, describing it as a threat to the country’s sovereignty and regional stability. Reacting to the development, Sowore warned Nigerians against celebrating the operation, calling it an imperialist intervention.
“Nobody should be rejoicing about this. This is imperialist move on the part of Trump,” Sowore said. While noting that Nigeria could benefit from international assistance, he rejected direct foreign military action within the country. According to him, “US could help Nigerian military but U.S. military carrying out attack inside Nigeria is extremely dangerous, reckless and bad.”
His reaction followed confirmation by President Trump that American forces had carried out the strike, announcing on Truth Social that the operation targeted ISIS fighters accused of killing Christians. The United States Africa Command said the strike, carried out at Nigeria’s request, killed multiple terrorists, with residents of parts of Sokoto State reporting panic after a loud explosion on Christmas night.