ADC criticises US air strikes accusing Tinubu of out-sourcing Nigeria's security to the US

NIGERIAN opposition coalition the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the recent air strikes carried out by the US Africa Command (Africom) against Islamist militant camps in Sokoto State accusing President Bola Tinubu of outsourcing security.

At the moment, Nigeria is suffering from the effects of chronic insecurity as Boko Haram, the Islamic State of the West African Province (Iswap), armed bandits and kidnappers have turned large swathes of the north of the country into no-go areas. Yesterday, the US carried through plans to attack these militants, with air strikes against suspected terrorist camps in Sokoto and Zamfara states.

Last month, President Donald Trump declared that he has asked his generals to draw up plans regarding how to attack Nigeria in response to the incessant attacks on Christians by Islamic terrorists. He accused the Nigerian government of not doing enough to address the situation, standing by as Christians were being massacred across the north of the country.

According to the Nigerian foreign ministry, the federal government provided the intelligence that led to the attack. In response to the attacks, however, the ADC, criticised the government, saying there is an urgent need for Nigeria to address its domestic security challenges.

ADC spokesman Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said: “President Bola Tinubu has outsourced his most important constitutional responsibility, effectively taking a back seat in a vehicle that 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 our country?"

Africom said the strikes targeted Isis‑linked positions, although information on casualties and the precise role of Nigerian forces has been limited and sparked debate over sovereignty and communication. Highlighting the stakes, the ADC acknowledged the broader security context in the country but added that despite this recognition, it is concerned about foreign military involvement.

Mallam Abdullahi added:  “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 US 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 after-thought. Also, the manner in which Nigerians were informed of this development is equally troubling but 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.”