The Defence Headquarters says a battle damage assessment of the recent United States strikes conducted in conjunction with Nigerian forces is still ongoing.
United States President, Donald Trump, announced on Christmas Day that the American military conducted lethal strikes against Islamic State targets in north-western Nigeria.
The Federal Government confirmed the joint effort, describing it as part of ongoing counterterrorism cooperation.
There has, however, been debate in the country on whether the strike was successful or not.
Speaking while fielding questions from journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, said the military would make its findings public after the assessment was completed.
“On the United States strikes in conjunction with Nigerian forces, there is a process of battle damage assessment. We are still in that process, and I can assure you that once that is completed, we will communicate to the public all our observations. In due course, we will give you all the information that you require from the U.S.–Nigeria strikes,” Onoja said.
Responding to questions on whether terrorists were present at the bombed locations, Onoja said intelligence reports confirmed their presence in the area before the strikes.
“You know, terrorists are ubiquitous, and we cannot confine them to one location. Of course, there is evidence to show that they are in the Sahel. So we can also take it further given the proximity of the Sahel to Sokoto. Intelligence reports have also confirmed their presence there before those strikes were conducted against them. So, yes, they were there, because those strikes were based on intelligence reports.
They have confirmed their presence in those areas. The fact that it was not publicised is sometimes for operational security reasons,” he said.
He also said the military was monitoring the movement of terrorists outside the targeted locations and coordinating with field commanders to prevent their infiltration into communities.
According to him, the armed forces are also engaging civilians to support security agencies with timely information.
“We are monitoring them, and we are doing the necessary things, communicating with all the force commanders in the areas that we have identified as threat areas, so that they will prevent them from assimilating into the community and causing further havoc. And as time goes on, you will hear about all the activities that we are doing. You know, it’s important that while we are acting, we keep it confidential. With time, I will call you here and brief you about all the things that we are doing.
“Also, we are mobilising the civilian population so that they will be vigilant and give information to the military and other security agencies, so that any issue of insecurity or any movement of these terrorists can be acted on quickly.
“The truth is that security or insecurity can only be addressed through the cooperation of every member of society. It’s called the whole-of-society approach,” he said.
Onoja also appealed to persons who may have taken possession of ammunition or fragments from the operation to return them to security agencies for safe recovery.
“We don’t expect anybody to take away those materials… they should return them to the military or security divisions so that we can disarm those things before they cause greater damage,” he said.
Commenting on criticisms of the joint strikes, the defence spokesman said it was not the role of the Armed Forces to respond to every public statement and that relevant agencies were responsible for addressing such concerns.
“Every agency has its functions. It is not for the Armed Forces to focus on what some people in society do not agree with in our activities. Ours is to focus on our kinetic operations and, as much as possible, conduct non-kinetic operations when necessary. I believe that there are relevant agencies who are tasked to consider such statements if they are against or for the country. And I believe that they are doing so,” he said.
On recent incidents of suicide bombing, Onoja said the arrest of a suspected attacker this week was significant in disrupting planned activities and logistics of terrorist elements.
He said security agencies were working to prevent future attacks using intelligence networks and other measures.
He assured the public that the armed forces would continue operations against terrorist groups into the new year.
Meanwhile,the Borno State Police Command, on Wednesday, dismissed as “misinformation” claims by the Nigerian Army that it arrested a suspected suicide bomber in Borno State, insisting that the operation was carried out by the police and that no active Improvised Explosive Device was recovered.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, told The PUNCH on Wednesday that the suspect was arrested by the police and is currently in police custody.
“The same suspect shown in the pictures released by the Army is with us. I personally interviewed him last night. The items recovered from him are not IEDs,” Daso said.
“It was a police operation,” he added.
In a statement released in the early hours of Wednesday, the police spokesman warned members of the public against the spread of misinformation.
“The Borno State Police Command has observed with concern the circulation of social media videos alleging the recovery of Improvised Explosive Device components in Banki, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State,” the statement read.
“To set the record straight, on 29 December 2025, at about 1810hrs, operatives of the Command, while on surveillance around a mosque in Banki LGA, accosted one Abubakar in possession of a bag containing electrical wires, old mobile phone batteries, assorted gadget scrap materials, and pairs of shoes.”
Daso stated that preliminary investigations indicated that the items recovered had “no active IED fabrication or priming.”
He added that the case had been transferred to the State Command Headquarters for comprehensive investigation, noting that the suspect remained in custody while inquiries continued to ascertain the intent behind the items found in his possession.
“The command cautions members of the public against spreading unverified information capable of causing fear or panic and urges reliance on credible and official sources for accurate information,” he said.
“Further updates will be provided as investigations progress.”
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