Residents across parts of Nigeria’s Sokoto State were jolted awake by powerful explosions late on Christmas Day, with many fearing their communities were under attack by armed groups that have long terrorised the region. The blasts, which shook homes and sent residents fleeing in panic, were later confirmed to be United States airstrikes targeting suspected militants.
According to accounts gathered by AFP, villagers in rural areas around Jabo town, approximately 100 kilometres south of Sokoto city near the Niger border, said the strikes came without warning. The northwest of Nigeria is frequently plagued by armed “bandit” gangs and jihadist groups, making sudden explosions a source of immediate alarm for local populations.
“We heard a loud explosion which shook the whole town and everyone was scared,” said Haruna Kallah, a resident of Jabo. “People thought it was another attack.”
The surprise was compounded by the fact that the area is not widely known as a stronghold for militant groups. While sporadic violence has occurred in the broader region, residents said their communities had not experienced major attacks in recent years.
“We initially thought it was an attack by Lakurawa,” Kallah said, referring to the main jihadist group operating in Sokoto State. “Learning that it was a US attack surprised us because this area has never been a Lakurawa enclave, and we have not had any attacks here in the last two years.”
After the explosions subsided, some residents cautiously ventured outside the town to investigate. In a field near Barkini village on the outskirts of Jabo, they reportedly found burning debris and fragments believed to be remnants of the bombardment.
Another resident, Ayuba Abdulkarim, described scenes of fear and confusion. “There was a huge explosion and everyone was terrified and thought the town was under attack from Lakurawa,” he said. “Luckily no one was hurt, but fragments from the bomb damaged walls and roofs of nearby homes.”
The United States later confirmed it had carried out strikes against militants linked to the Islamic State group, though it did not specify which of Nigeria’s numerous armed factions were targeted or provide detailed locations.
In neighbouring Tangaza district, resident Tukur Shehu said at least two strikes hit Warriya and Alkassim villages—areas known to host Lakurawa camps where militants are believed to launch attacks and hold hostages.
The strikes come amid diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the United States. Washington, under President Donald Trump, has accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christian communities, framing the violence as mass killings of Christians. The Nigerian government and independent analysts strongly reject this narrative, arguing that the country faces complex and overlapping security crises that claim the lives of both Christian and Muslim civilians.
The region has previously seen US military involvement. In October 2020, US special forces conducted a covert operation in Tangaza district to rescue Philip Walton, a US citizen who had been kidnapped from his home in southern Niger.
For residents of Sokoto’s rural communities, however, the Christmas Day strikes left behind more questions than answers—and a renewed sense of vulnerability in an area already scarred by years of insecurity.
