On Thursday, December 25th, the United States launched a strike against ISIS fighters in northwest Nigeria. But this was not an American attack alone. Nigerian officials say it was a joint operation, planned together using Nigerian information and American weapons.
Terrorist groups like ISIS in the northwest and Boko Haram in the northeast do attack mosques, markets, and Muslim villages. The violence is widespread. However, reports from international aid groups, human rights monitors, and Nigerian church leaders consistently show a terrible pattern. Christian farmers in the north-central region, Christian students, and entire congregations have suffered massacres, kidnappings for ransom, and the destruction of their villages at a scale that points to a targeted campaign.
Nigeria’s leaders, including President Bola Tinubu, firmly state that the violence is not religious. They say it is driven by poverty, competition for land, and criminal gangs seeking money. They argue that calling it a “Christian persecution” crisis is too simple and ignores the many Muslim victims.
Labeling it as religious war could tear the country’s deeply divided social fabric completely apart. Nigeria’s population is almost evenly split between Muslims and Christians, with Muslims mostly in the north and Christians in the south.
U.S strike comes after months of growing violence in the area. Just this week, a bomb killed several people at a mosque in Nigeria’s northeast.
For others, this decision is complicated. Letting another country’s military strike inside your borders is a very serious choice.
Some see it as a sign of strength. “A good leader uses every tool to save lives,” “If we need help to hit a dangerous target, asking for it is the smart thing to do.”
Others see it as a sign of weakness. “Why can’t our own army handle this?” asked a critic. “It makes our country look like it cannot defend itself.” There is worry that this could hurt national pride and set a pattern of relying on outside help.
Both governments say they worked closely together. Nigeria provided the information on where the terrorists were hiding. The U.S. launched precise missiles from a warship.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “More to come…” This suggests there could be more joint strikes in the future.
For now, the immediate threat at one ISIS camp is gone. But the larger question remains, Will this partnership make Nigeria’s own military stronger in the long run? Or will it create a habit of needing help?
President Bola Tinubu recently promised to protect all Nigerians. This strike is a bold, and risky, move to keep that promise. The real test will be whether it brings lasting safety to his people.
This situation leaves no one satisfied.
Many Christians in Nigeria feel their government has failed to protect them for years, and that it took a foreign power to finally act. They may see the strike as justified, but as proof of their own leaders’ weakness.
Many Muslims in Nigeria may see the strike as proof of a biased Western world that only acts when Christians are killed, ignoring Muslim victims. This can fuel more resentment.
The Nigerian Government is stuck. It must work with a foreign partner who sees the crisis differently, while desperately trying to prevent the country from splitting along religious lines.
The U.S. missile destroyed one terrorist camp. But it did not solve the deeper problem, a cycle of violence where one community feels disproportionately hunted, and a government struggling to protect everyone equally while the world watches and judges.
By: Eunice Adjei