Sowore Condems US Airstrike in Nigeria, Accuses Government of Surrendering Sovereignity

Nigerian activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has accused the Nigerian government of surrendering the country’s sovereignty following an announcement by former US President Donald Trump that American forces carried out airstrikes inside Nigeria on Christmas Day.

In a strongly worded statement posted online, Sowore reacted to Trump’s announcement and comments attributed to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which indicated that the strikes targeted terrorist groups operating within Nigerian territory. Sowore said the operation, reportedly conducted in Sokoto Nigeria, exposed what he described as a dangerous erosion of Nigeria’s authority over its own territory.

While Nigerian officials have since suggested the strikes were conducted with the government’s knowledge as part of a joint operation involving “international partners,” Sowore dismissed those claims, arguing that Nigeria’s leadership neither exercised real control nor provided informed consent.

“The strikes were carried out without genuine authority,” Sowore said, accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of weakness and complicity. He described Nigeria as having been reduced to “a bystander while its sovereignty is violated” by a foreign power.

Sowore also raised concerns about civilian impact, pointing to reports of a confirmed strike on a village in Sokoto State. He accused the U.S. leadership of acting with little understanding of, or concern for, Nigerian lives.

Read Sowore’s full statement below:

I have read reports that the United States government launched attacks on Nigerian soil on Christmas Day, as announced by @realDonaldTrump and the U.S. Secretary of War, @PeteHegseth, purportedly targeting terrorist groups within Nigeria.

Although the Nigerian government now claims it was aware and describes the operation as a joint effort with vague “international partners,” it is evident that the strikes were carried out without the genuine authority or informed consent of the weaklings masquerading as government under Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

My position remains unchanged. Judging by the nature of the confirmed strike on a village in Sokoto, it is clear that the U.S. President under whose authority this operation occurred neither understands nor genuinely cares about Nigeria or Nigerians.

It is deeply troubling that Nigeria (Africa’s most populous nation) lacks the capable and sovereign leadership required to protect its people and its territory.

As a result, the country has been reduced to a bystander while its sovereignty is violated under the direction of U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

I reiterate: only true, tested, and informed leadership can protect Nigerians—not imperiled, jaundiced neoconservatives operating from Washington, D.C.

The Nigerian government has not released detailed information about the alleged airstrike, including its location, targets, or any casualties. U.S. officials have also not provided further clarification beyond the initial announcement cited by Sowore. Kanyi Daily News has not independently verified the specifics of the operation.