The Federal Government of Nigeria has confirmed that debris from precision-guided munitions used in recent airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets fell in parts of Sokoto State and Kwara State, following coordinated military operations carried out on Christmas Day.
In a statement issued on Friday, Mohammed Idris, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, said the strikes were aimed at terrorist camps located within the Bauni forest axis of Tangaza Local Government Area in Sokoto State.
According to the minister, intelligence assessments identified the locations as major operational enclaves used by foreign ISIS fighters infiltrating Nigeria from the Sahel region in collaboration with local terror networks.
Idris disclosed that the operation was carried out in the early hours of Friday after receiving the “explicit approval” of Bola Tinubu, adding that the strikes were part of broader counterterrorism efforts to prevent cross-border extremist incursions.
“The strikes were launched from maritime platforms domiciled in the Gulf of Guinea, after extensive intelligence gathering, operational planning, and reconnaissance,” the minister said.
“A total of 16 GPS-guided precision munitions were deployed using MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms, successfully neutralising the targeted ISIS elements attempting to penetrate Nigeria from the Sahel corridor,” he added.
The information minister confirmed that fragments from the expended munitions later fell in Jabo, located in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and in Offa, a commercial town in Kwara State, near a hotel premises.
“During the course of the operation, debris from expended munitions fell in Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and in Offa, Kwara State, near the premises of a hotel,” Idris stated.
“No civilian casualties were recorded in either location, and relevant authorities promptly secured the affected areas.”
Residents in parts of Sokoto and Kwara had earlier reported loud explosions around the same time the United States announced a series of airstrikes against ISIS targets in northwestern Nigeria.
Reaffirming the government’s stance, Idris said Nigeria remains committed to confronting terrorism in all its forms and to working closely with international partners.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria reiterates its unwavering resolve to confront, degrade, and eliminate terrorist threats, particularly those posed by transnational extremist networks seeking to undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty and security,” he said.
“Nigeria remains fully aligned with its strategic partners and Friends of Nigeria in executing coordinated actions aimed at ensuring lasting peace, border security, and regional stability.”
