Over 128 civil society organizations (CSOs) have expressed outrage following reported debris from a U.S. airstrike on Nigerian soil on Christmas Day rained down on farmlands in Jabo, Tambuwal LGA of Sokoto State, and near a hotel in Offa, Kwara State, accusing President Bola Tinubu and top leaders of a “troubling silence, absence, and abdication of responsibility” amid threats to civilian lives.
The coalition, including Amnesty International Nigeria, CLEEN Foundation, Yiaga Africa, BudgIT, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and former National Human Rights Commission Executive Secretary Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, have issued a blistering joint statement expressing “grave concern and deep alarm” over a U.S. airstrike on Nigerian territory on Christmas Day, spotlighting the “troubling silence, absence, and abdication of responsibility by Nigeria’s political and military leadership.”
The massive coalition, representing a broad spectrum of human rights, media, youth, women, and development advocates, framed the incident as a “dual crisis of leadership and security,” zeroing in on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s apparent inaction. “It is apparent that Nigeria is in a dual crisis of leadership and security, and at the heart of this crisis is the apparent abdication by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of his constitutional role as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” the statement reads. “By inviting a foreign government to manage what is fundamentally an internal security challenge, the President ceded sovereign authority in a manner that undermines Nigeria’s constitutional order.”
They lambasted the leadership vacuum during the operation, noting: “Even more disturbing is that during and after the operation, the President, the Service Chiefs, and the leadership of the National Assembly were either on vacation or completely silent, leaving the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, to publicly rationalize decisions that strike at the core of national sovereignty and democratic accountability. This silence reflects a profound breakdown of institutional accountability mechanisms.”
Invoking Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the groups stressed: “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. This provision represents a central pillar of Nigeria’s social contract. Any security action, especially one involving foreign military forces, must be grounded in transparency, civilian protection, and democratic oversight. None of these standards were met.”
The statement raised red flags over the strike’s opacity and civilian risks, reporting debris from munitions falling on farmlands in Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and near a hotel in Offa, Kwara State. “We are particularly troubled by the severe deficit of information regarding the nature, scope, legal basis, and rules of engagement governing the collaboration between the Nigerian and U.S. governments,” it stated.
“Since the incident, Nigerians have not been informed of the basis for authorizing the strikes, under what legal framework they were conducted, what safeguards were in place to protect civilians, or what accountability mechanisms exist for harm caused. This opacity fuels mistrust and undermines public confidence in government at a time when trust is already dangerously low.”
While calling for a review of Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) and its frameworks, the CSOs warned of broader fallout: “We caution that the government’s inept management of this crisis is capable of aggravating narratives that escalate religious and communal tensions in an already fragile national context. Nigeria’s security challenges cannot and must not be framed in ways that deepen polarization or stigmatize communities.”
They demanded urgent remedies: “We emphasise the urgent need to address the harms suffered by civilians as a result of the strike action. This includes transparent investigations, public disclosure of findings, prompt assistance to affected communities, and adequate compensation where harm has occurred. Without these steps, the already wide public trust deficit between citizens and the state will continue to deepen.”
