•Say one airstrike not enough to end insurgency
By Dayo Johnson, Regional Editor, South West; Samuel Oyadongha; Rotimi Ojomoyela; Jimitota Onoyume; Egufe Yafugborhi; Ochuko Akuopha; Davies Ihmeanachor; Emma Una; Shina Abubakar; Laolu Elijah; Steve Oko & Deola Badru
Last month, December 25th, the Christmas Day, the US launched a missile attack on the northwestern Sokoto state enclave of the terrorists, with promises of more strikes if the terrorists continued in their attacks of helpless residents.
Many Nigerians had hoped that the US strike would send the terrorists packing and put an end to the residents’ nightmare of killings and kidnappings.
But rather than deter the terrorists, the US strike appears to have provoked the terrorists to increase their attacks as they continued to kill and kidnap the residents almost daily.
Nigerians have therefore been wondering what impact, if any, the US intervention has had in our fight against terrorism. They argued that just one strike by the US would not end terrorists’ activities in the country. Many residents have therefore called for more US strikes to bring the terrorists to their knees and degrade them completely.
Nigeria needs US direct intervention to end jihadists, banditry —Gbemre
Zik Gbemre, Coordinator of Niger Delta Peace Coalition said: “The US strike helped a great deal. It was after this that Boko Haram left Gwoza Mobile Police Training Centre they had occupied since 2014. The Nigerian military, police are overwhelmed and they have no capacity to fight terrorists without the support of the US. What we should do is to put more pressure on Donald Trump to direct the US military to strike more terrorist hideouts until they are flushed out of Nigeria.
“Nigerians who are talking about the sovereignty of Nigeria are not patriotic Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu should invite the US military to help fight terrorism in Nigeria rather than pretending that Nigerian military and police can fight terrorism in the country. Terrorists are fighting their last battle in Nigeria if more US military strikes on them should continue. The only hope Nigeria has is for Nigerians to support Trump and the US to deal with terrorists in Nigeria. Let’s not pretend about it. Nigeria needs US direct intervention to end Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen and banditry.”
One airstrike would not eliminate the terrorists ——Mr Okokon Albert
According to Calabar based legal practitioner, Mr Okokon Ndinam Albert, “The US airstrike was significant and drove a message to the terrorists that the United States would not allow them continue to have a reign of terror without challenge in Nigeria. However, what should be noted is that these terror groups have operated freely for a long time and have spread to many states particularly in the northern part of the country. One airstrike would not eliminate them. When America went into Syria to defeat ISIS, it was not just one airstrike.
There were drones, airstrikes and even ground troops. We have very active terror cells all over Nigeria and what is needed is to have frequent targeted airstrikes and drones surveillance. The Nigerian government may be thinking of a backlash from certain sections of the country and with elections coming, those in power would want to play the card of placating those forces which are behind the terrorists in expectation that they would get support from those forces during the election.
What is required is frequent strikes to destroy the fabrics and networks of the terror gangs from both the US and our Air force because the terrorists want to give the impression that they are still strong and active. I see more of these kidnappings in the weeks and months to come if drastic action is not taken against them.
Isolated strikes, however precise, seldom deliver lasting results —Afenifere
Abagun Kole Omololu—National Organising secretary Afenifere said that “ Afenifere, has observed with concern the missile strike carried out by the United States on 25 December 2025 in the northwestern Sokoto State enclave reportedly occupied by terrorist groups. While the action was described as a targeted attempt to degrade insurgent capacity, early reports suggest that the strike has not achieved the intended deterrent effect.
Indeed, terrorist attacks including killings and kidnappings of civilians appear to have continued in the region, creating fear and insecurity among local populations. Afenifere recognises the importance of international cooperation in countering terrorism; indeed, more strikes may well occur. Nevertheless, we caution against over-reliance on airstrikes or foreign military interventions as a primary solution.
Experience from global counter-insurgency operations indicates that isolated strikes, however precise, seldom deliver lasting results unless integrated into a broader, sustained strategy that prioritises intelligence, local capacity building, and civilian protection.
We urge the Nigerian Government and its security agencies to intensify efforts to strengthen domestic counter-terrorism capabilities, including better training, equipment, and coordination among the Armed Forces and police. Additionally, measures to protect vulnerable communities and reassure citizens are paramount.
Security strategies must also address the underlying drivers of insurgency including poverty, governance deficits and social marginalisation, which extremists exploit to sustain their operations. We further call for greater transparency and accountability in reporting both the planning and outcomes of all military operations, including foreign-assisted strikes. Citizens deserve clear, credible information on efforts being made to safeguard lives and restore peace. While we welcome any action aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s sovereignty and protecting our people, we emphasise that lasting peace can only be achieved through a comprehensive, home-grown strategy supported by the international community.
One American missile strike can’t wish away Nigeria’s insecurity ——Ayo Fadaka
Hon Ayo Fadaka, A Public Affairs analyst said that, “The insecurity crisis in Nigeria cannot be wished away with just one American missile strike, it is a battle that must be intense and desperate, without which, we will continue to be in trouble. Those criminals must be wiped off totally but unfortunately, we are still not serious, there is no uniformity of approach to solving this crisis.
While it is obvious that the Federal Government now adopts a total war approach to solving it, states like Katsina still believe in negotiating and releasing these criminals, this must not happen. The armed forces and indeed all security agencies must be mobilised to exterminate all terrorist groups forthwith and put a permanent stop to all such activities immediately. Those criminals that have raped, killed and detain citizens unjustly must be made to pay for their crimes, let there be persistent strikes on their enclaves, terrorism must be destroyed now.
Address internal deficiencies to build a robust security architecture —Prof Okaba
President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof Benjamin Okaba said: “Beyond simple retaliation, the hope that a single external strike would cripple the terrorists was misguided. The apparent surge in violence is not mere retaliation; it is a complex outcome with several likely drivers. A precision strike on a mobile insurgency often leads to forced dispersion, not destruction. Terrorist cells likely fractured into smaller, more elusive groups, relocating to new areas.
This complicates intelligence efforts, spreads instability geographically, and can temporarily increase chaos as these groups re-establish themselves and demonstrate their continued presence through violence. In asymmetric warfare, a show of external force often triggers a brutal demonstration of resilience.
Increased attacks serve as a signal—to terrified civilians, to the Nigerian state, and to the world—that the group remains potent, unbowed by foreign powers, and capable of retaliating at will. It is a tactic to project strength and maintain fear after a perceived challenge to their authority. The operation may have revealed critical fissures in intelligence-sharing and operational coordination between Nigerian and foreign assets.
Actions based on outdated or isolated intelligence fail to deliver a decisive blow and leave our own forces to manage the violent, unpredictable aftermath without adequate preparation or strategic integration. Blaming external actors is a dead end. We must use this moment to demand and enact foundational change. The solution lies not in outsourcing our security but in reclaiming it through urgent, sovereign reform. First, we require radical security sector overhaul. This means a transparent purge of corruption within procurement and operations, significant investment in the welfare and advanced training of our personnel, and the creation of a real-time, trusted intelligence fusion system. Our military must be equipped, motivated, and strategy-driven to be the primary, effective defender of our territory.
Second, we must implement community-centric governance. As our Defence Minister has correctly noted, military action addresses only 30 per cent of this conflict. The 70 per cent solution is good governance. We must address the root causes of alienation—youth unemployment, educational poverty, and a total absence of state services—that make communities vulnerable to recruitment and coercion.
The state must become a visible, consistent provider of justice and development. Finally, any foreign cooperation must be ethical and strategic, conducted strictly on our terms. Partnerships must be fully transparent, legally sound, and designed solely to build our indigenous capacity.
The ultimate goal of any external support must be to render such kinetic interventions obsolete by creating a Nigeria where our own institutions are robust enough to protect every citizen. In conclusion, the US strike is a mirror reflecting our own failings and a catalyst that has worsened the violence.
Our dignified response must be to urgently and decisively address the internal deficiencies that made it possible, forging a nation where our sovereignty is underpinned by undeniable strength and justice for all.”
US attack cosmetic in nature —Osun Civil Society Coalition
Emmanuel Olowu, Secretary, Osun Civil Society Coalition “The US launched attack, to me, appeared cosmetic in nature. The bombing was more of a stop attack on Christmas Day rather than ensuring a clinical operation to decapitate the terrorist/bandits operation in the Northern region. Soon after the yuletide season, the selected US attack seems to have emboldened the bandits the most.
They started attacking Churches and kidnapping worshipers again. The bandits seem to be daring the US capacity to stop their nefarious activities in their stronghold. Going forward, I am of the view that the US should collaborate more with the Federal Government by supplying the needed military equipment to tackle terrorism and other criminal activities.
There is no external force that would enter a strange territory to fight insecurity without adequate and effective collaboration from the owners of the territory. In fact, the owners of the territory should, ordinarily, lead such a battle and get the needed assistance from anyone willing to help.
I strongly believe that if the United States Government gives Nigeria the necessary support and monitor the deployment of weapons to ensure it is targeted towards combating terrorism and banditry, the country will win the war.
It did not address deeper causes of insecurity in the region —Stephen Adewale
Hon Stephen Adewale, a Public Affairs analyst and former Ondo state chairman of the Social
Democratic Party said, “The U.S. missile strike in north-western Sokoto was symbolically important but strategically limited. While it may have disrupted some militant camps and signalled international concern, it did not address the deeper causes of insecurity in the region.
Armed groups operate as flexible networks rather than fixed targets, so isolated strikes rarely dismantle them permanently. In some cases, foreign intervention can even provoke retaliation or strengthen extremist propaganda, which helps explain why attacks continued afterward. Lasting progress depends more on Nigeria strengthening its own security capacity than on external strikes. This means better intelligence gathering, improved coordination among security agencies, stronger border control, and more effective policing of rural communities.
At the same time, insecurity is driven by poverty, unemployment, weak local governance, and the availability of small arms. Without addressing these structural conditions, military success remains temporary. Ultimately, defeating terrorism requires a long-term strategy that combines security operations with governance reform, economic development, and community trust-building. Airstrikes can weaken militants temporarily, but sustainable peace comes from restoring state presence, creating opportunities for citizens, and rebuilding confidence in public institutions.
Trump’s intervention failed to diminish bandits’ operational capacity——Lanre Ogunsuyi
A Public Affairs Analyst and Media Strategist, Lanre Ogunsuyi argued that, “The strike bore the hallmarks of a performative gesture rather than a decisive military intervention. It neither meaningfully diminished the operational capacity of insurgent groups nor appreciably enhanced civilian safety. Indeed, militant organizations such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have continued to mount audacious assaults on military installations and personnel, exploiting security vacuums and directing their violence toward vulnerable civilian populations.
Looking ahead, the deepening of strategic partnerships between Nigeria and its international allies, including the United States, holds the potential to significantly strengthen counter-terrorism efforts. Enhanced intelligence sharing, coordinated joint operations, and robust capacity-building initiatives could provide the Nigerian security apparatus with the tools required to confront an adaptive and resilient adversary. Equally vital is a comprehensive approach that extends beyond kinetic military force.
Investment in community-based policing, inclusive dialogue, and deradicalization programs offers a pathway toward addressing the underlying social and ideological drivers of extremism. Improvements in intelligence collection and surveillance capabilities would further aid in identifying terrorist sanctuaries and disrupting plots before they are executed”.
No sustained strategic effect on Nigeria’s fight against terrorism——Fehintola Sunday
An activist, Mr Fehintola Sunday said, “The U.S. missile strike appears to have had a limited tactical impact but no sustained strategic effect on Nigeria’s fight against terrorism. While such an intervention may have disrupted specific targets or sent a symbolic warning, it has not translated into a lasting reduction in attacks.
In fact, the continued killings and kidnappings suggest that the terrorists’ command structure, recruitment pipelines, funding sources, and territorial influence remain largely intact.”
Foreign support should prioritise intelligence over sporadic strikes—Titilope Tayese
A lawyer, Mr Titilope Tayese, noted that isolated foreign strikes, without deep coordination with Nigerian security forces and follow-up ground operations, risk being counterproductive. According to him, “rather than weakening the groups, they may harden their resolve, fuel propaganda narratives, or trigger retaliatory violence against civilians. Nigeria must strengthen intelligence gathering, sharing, and real-time coordination among the military, police, DSS, and local vigilante groups. Foreign support should prioritise intelligence, surveillance, and logistics over sporadic strikes.
Terrorist enclaves must be cleared and held, not just attacked from the air. This requires better-equipped troops, improved welfare, and clear rules of engagement that protect civilians. Terrorist financing networks—such as ransom payments, illegal mining, arms trafficking, and cross-border supply routes—must be aggressively dismantled through financial tracking and regional cooperation.
Local communities are critical to defeating terrorism. Protecting civilians, rebuilding trust, and encouraging credible local intelligence can deny terrorists safe havens.
Foreign military intervention alone cannot defeat terrorism in Nigeria—Temiyemi Adeola
Another lawyer, Temiyemi Adeola, said,”Terrorism in northern Nigeria has strong cross-border dimensions. Nigeria must deepen cooperation with neighbouring countries and regional bodies to prevent fighters from simply relocating.
Foreign military intervention alone cannot defeat terrorism in Nigeria. Without strong local capacity, accountable governance, and sustained political will, external strikes risk becoming symbolic gestures rather than game-changers”.
The effect largely symbolic rather than decisive——Major Salawu
Major Rasaki Salawu said: “From my personal perspective, the United States missile strike carried out on Christmas Day against suspected terrorist enclaves in north-western Sokoto State was a notable development, but one whose practical impact on our broader fight against terrorism appears limited.
Many Nigerians expected that such a powerful show of force would either force the terrorists to retreat or significantly weaken their operational capacity. Unfortunately, the reality on the ground suggests otherwise, as attacks, killings and kidnappings of innocent residents have continued, and in some cases even intensified, in the weeks that followed. In my view, this outcome highlights a long-standing challenge in counter-terrorism efforts: external military intervention, particularly in the form of isolated air or missile strikes, rarely delivers lasting results when it is not part of a sustained, locally driven and comprehensive strategy.
While such strikes may temporarily disrupt terrorist movements or destroy specific facilities, they can also provoke retaliation, encourage dispersal into civilian populations, or be used by the terrorists as propaganda to justify further violence. If the intelligence guiding the strike is incomplete or the targets are not of high strategic value, the effect can be largely symbolic rather than decisive.
The US intervention does, however, carry some indirect significance. It signals international concern and reinforces security cooperation between Nigeria and its partners, particularly in intelligence sharing and surveillance. This cooperation is valuable, but it should support, not replace, Nigeria’s own responsibility to confront and defeat terrorism. Ultimately, the burden of restoring security rests with Nigerian institutions and security forces, who understand the terrain, the communities and the complex social dynamics better than any external actor.
To truly bring the terrorists to their knees and degrade them decisively, I believe Nigeria must pursue a more integrated and sustained approach. This should begin with stronger, more accurate intelligence gathering rooted in local knowledge and supported by regional cooperation with neighbouring countries. Our armed forces and security agencies must be better equipped, better trained and better coordinated to carry out precise operations that minimise harm to civilians and deny terrorists freedom of movement. At the same time, community trust is essential, because terrorism thrives where the state is absent or distrusted. Equally important is addressing the underlying conditions that allow terrorism and banditry to flourish.
Poverty, unemployment, weak governance and social marginalisation continue to provide fertile ground for recruitment and radicalisation. While the US strike may have sent a message of international support, its direct impact on reducing terrorism in Nigeria appears modest at best. Lasting victory will only come through a Nigerian-led, comprehensive strategy that combines security, intelligence, governance and development in a sustained and coordinated manner.”
Terrorism ‘ll persist in Nigeria until sponsors ‘re exposed – Apostle Agomuo
The Chairman Christian Pilgrims Board, Abia State, Apostle Kingsley Agomuo, has said that the war against terrorism in Nigeria will not be won until the financiers are exposed and brought to account.
His words: “Terrorism in Nigeria will not stop until the sponsors are arrested. They are getting foreign sponsorship. The US should use its powers to expose those financing terrorism in Nigeria. Any day their names are published it will be easy to defeat terrorism. Let the government get hold of those sponsors, including those in places of authority and security circles. As long as the names of the sponsors of terrorism and banditry in the country remained concealed, the monster might not be demolished any time soon. I call on President Donald Trump, to leverage on the US influence and might, and publish the names of all those behind terrorism and banditry in Nigeria, and go after them”.
The action ought to be sustained with more consistency -Ogwuche
Chief Festus Ogwuche, President, Campaign for Social Justice and Constitutional Democracy in Africa, argued that, “that action by the US government aroused Nigerians to the reality of the danger that had surrounded us all these years and the extent to which it threatens our existence as individuals and survival as a nation. The impact of the action is still reverberating across the length and breadth of the land and even beyond frightening terrorists and their sponsors most of whom were so devastated that they scampered and converged in other parts of the country, and some moving out in their droves.
“That intervention has also assisted in getting Nigeria to accept its failures and inadequacy. Since the Sokoto attacks, Nigeria appears to have woken up from its deep slumber, and we now have what seems more like military strikes against terrorists. The action ought to be sustained with more consistency and intensity, at least as a veritable guarantee that the evils of terrorism would be completely and permanently wiped out of this beautiful landscape called Nigeria.”
Also, Mr. Blessing Adima, a political activist, said “the fact that the terrorists are intensifying their attacks is because the US force is not on ground. After the US intervention, we expected the Nigerian military to do a follow up in those areas. They should have cordoned off those areas, not allowing the terrorists to regroup again.
Now that the terrorists have intensified their attacks, it shows that our military architecture has been overwhelmed. We don’t seem to have enough manpower to spread the military across those areas where the terrorists are attacking. I advise the President to hire the services of mercenaries who will come with sophisticated equipment, not only military hardware, but also communication and surveillance equipment to survey the entire area where the terrorists are terrorising so that they would discover where they are regrouping and domiciling”.
Eric Omare, a legal practitioner said: “For me, the reaction of the terrorists is expected. They are not in one place, so once they are attacked as the US did, they would react in different forms. I think what needs to be done is to intensify the attack on them by the Nigerian government, especially in cutting off the source of funds and arms supply to them.”
US strike degraded the terrorists – Ozobo
Comrade Ozobo Austin, National President of Ijaw People Development Initiative, said the US strike has degraded the terrorists, urging the world power to step up its attacks on other camps operated by the deadly groups. “The US strike on terror sites in Sokoto is strategic, timely and commended. It is a step meant to check the excesses of terrorist activities in the country. Despite the strike, there are still some activities of terrorists.
Nevertheless the US strike has instilled serious fear in the bandits and the terror networks in the country. The US should sustain its attacks on major targets of the terrorists, their bases, logistics camps, and financiers”.
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