Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has described the Christmas Day U.S. military airstrikes on Islamist militants in Sokoto State as a “blessing,” signalling Abuja’s readiness to deepen security cooperation with Washington amid escalating insecurity.
Tinubu made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Digital during her week-long visit to the United States, saying Nigeria welcomed the intervention as it battles insurgent groups and armed criminal networks across several regions.
“The intervention of the U.S. was quite a welcome development,” she said, adding that Nigeria is seeking broader collaboration with Washington on security matters. “Nigeria is looking forward to collaboration with the U.S. on security issues. We are expecting that there will be more.”
The reported airstrikes, which targeted Islamist militants in north-west Nigeria, have reignited debate in U.S. political circles over security and religious violence in Africa’s most populous nation.
During his previous term, former U.S. President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over alleged violations of religious freedom a classification the administration of President Bola Tinubu has strongly rejected.
