More than eighty Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and leaders have expressed “grave concern and deep alarm” over American airstrikes on the Nigerian territory on Christmas Day, and “the troubling silence, absence, and abdication of responsibility by Nigeria’s political and military leadership.”
“This event raises fundamental questions about sovereignty, constitutional governance, civilian protection, and the integrity of Nigeria’s social contract. 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 CSOs and leaders said in a joint statement on Monday, 29th December, entitled “Where is Nigeria’s President.”
An official statement said that President Tinubu left Lagos on Sunday, 28th December, for Europe, from there to Abu Dhabi at the invitation of the UAE President.
Writing on his Truth Social platform on Christmas night, Trump said that under his direction, the U.S. launched a “powerful and deadly” strike against forces of the ISIS group in Nigeria, after accusing the Nigerian government of failing to stop the targeting of Christians.
Reactions by Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar and statements from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Information and the Armed Forces came hours after Trump’s tweet, explaining that the operation in the north-western state of Sokoto was a Nigeria-U.S. joint/collaborative effort.
However, the CSOs and leaders in their statement said: “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. 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.”
According to them, “This silence reflects a profound breakdown of institutional accountability mechanisms. Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is unequivocal: ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government,’ adding: “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.”
“While we acknowledge the importance of international counter-terrorism cooperation,” they said. “There is an urgent need to critically assess Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST), as well as its Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, in light of the recent U.S. operation on Nigerian soil, to determine whether it aligns with these frameworks or exposes significant gaps within them.”
Continuing, the group said: “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. 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,” the statement said, adding: “In addition, at the time of issuing this statement, there has been no confirmation that any actual belligerent targets were hit. Instead, reports that debris from expended munitions fell on farmlands in Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and in Offa, Kwara State, near the premises of a hotel, underscore the very real risks to civilian life and property.”
It noted that “While the Nigerian Air Force inaugurated a ‘Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) Board’ in July 2025, no publicly articulated civilian harm mitigation protocols have been presented for this offensive. In contemporary military operations, particularly those involving air strikes, responsible governance demands clear standards for target verification, proportionality assessments, post-strike damage evaluations, and accessible avenues for civilian complaints, investigation, compensation, and redress.”
The CSOs and leaders said: “The absence of such frameworks in this operation constitutes a serious governance failure,” and “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. What is required is a united, inclusive, and rights-respecting approach that prioritizes peace, social cohesion, and long-term stability,” the statement said, adding: “We emphasize 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,” it said, “the already wide public trust deficit between citizens and the state will continue to deepen,” adding: “…the office of the President carries the fundamental expectation that President Bola Tinubu possesses the capacity, judgment, and resolve to serve as Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces. The authorization of a foreign military to conduct strikes within Nigerian territory without any public explanation of the necessity or legal basis for such action, coupled with the continued silence of the President, the Service Chiefs, and the National Assembly in the face of these grave developments, is wholly unacceptable.”
“If the President and his security leadership have concluded that they lack the capacity to manage Nigeria’s internal security challenges and would rather cede such authority to a foreign power, then constitutional responsibility and democratic integrity demand that they resign,” the statement said.
It stated that “Nigerians deserve accountable leadership and security rooted in sovereignty, the rule of law, and respect for human life.”
The CSOs and leaders that signed the statement included Amnesty International Nigeria, Center for Transparency Advocacy, Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Disabled People in Leadership Initiative and Network of Women with Disabilities, Media Rights Agenda, Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), Partnership for Justice and Network of Nigerian Human Rights Defenders, and The Kukah Centre.
The others are Yiaga Africa, Woman in Media Communication Initiative (WIM), African Law Foundation (AFRILAW), Alliances for Africa (AFA), 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth and Women Initiative, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Abubakar Mohammed, and Prof Chidi Odinkalu, a constitutional lawyer and former Chairman of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission.
Nigeria has been fighting multiple armed groups, including those affiliated with ISIS, such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the lesser-known Lakurawa group, operating in the north-western states.
The American Christmas airstrikes, like Trump’s warning in November, have elicited mixed reactions for and against.
However, the irrefutable fact remains that Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation of more than 220 million people, has been facing serious security challenges since 2009, which successive governments have failed to effectively address due to a combination of factors, including religious and ethnic division, lack of political will, insincerity, corruption and sabotage.##
