Nigeria, U.S.’ Boxing Day Gift to Terrorists
By Jerry Adesewo
If terrorists expected a quiet festive season, Nigeria and the United States had other plans. On Boxing Day, December 26, 2025, the Nigerian state, working in close coordination with its American partner, delivered a chilling reminder that the war against transnational terror does not take holidays.
In the early hours of that Friday, between 00:12 and 01:30, precision strikes were carried out against two major ISIS enclaves hidden deep within the Bauni forest axis of Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State. These were not random targets. Intelligence had established the locations as assembly and staging grounds for foreign ISIS elements infiltrating Nigeria from the Sahel, operating in concert with local affiliates to plan large-scale attacks on Nigerian soil.
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The operation, approved by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was executed under established command-and-control structures, with the Armed Forces of Nigeria fully engaged and oversight provided by the Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs alongside the Chief of Defence Staff. It was a textbook demonstration of intelligence-led warfare: deliberate, coordinated, and decisive.
Launched from maritime platforms in the Gulf of Guinea, the strikes deployed 16 GPS-guided precision munitions via MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial platforms. The result was unambiguous—targeted ISIS elements attempting to penetrate Nigeria through the Sahel corridor were neutralised before they could translate intent into carnage.
Predictably, debris from expended munitions landed in Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and in Offa, Kwara State, near a hotel. Equally important is what did not happen: there were no civilian casualties. Areas were promptly secured, underscoring the care taken to protect innocent lives even as lethal force was applied to those who threaten them.
This Boxing Day operation carries significance beyond its tactical success. First, it signals Nigeria’s clear-eyed recognition that today’s terror threat is transnational—fluid across borders, opportunistic in weak corridors, and emboldened by regional instability. Second, it demonstrates the maturation of Nigeria’s security partnerships. Coordination with the United States was not symbolic; it was operational, precise, and effective.
Thirdly, and perhaps most consequential, it, punctures the illusion that Nigeria’s borders or forests can serve as safe havens for foreign extremists. The message is unmistakable: infiltration routes from the Sahel are being watched, mapped, and struck.
Critically, this was not a reactive move after an attack, but a preventive one. That distinction matters. It suggests a shift from firefighting to anticipation—disrupting plots before blood is spilled, degrading networks before they metastasise.
For terrorists, Boxing Day brought no gifts—only consequences. For Nigerians, the operation offered reassurance that the state remains alert, coordinated, and willing to act decisively to protect lives and sovereignty. As the Federal Government affirmed, Nigeria is firmly in control of its national security architecture and aligned with strategic partners to ensure peace, border security, and regional stability.
In the end, the timing was apt. While citizens celebrated the season, the message to those who traffic in fear was delivered with precision: Nigeria is watching—and it will strike.
Nigeria, U.S.’ Boxing Day Gift to Terrorists