A Nigerian citizens’ group, Nigerian Citizens Investigative Platform (NICIP), has petitioned the National Assembly over the recent US airstrikes in Sokoto State on December 25, 2025, calling the strikes “unauthorized” and “uncoordinated.”
In a letter addressed to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Defense and the House Committee on Navy and Airforce, NICIP founder Comrade IG Wala urged lawmakers to summon the Minister of Defense and the National Security Adviser (NSA) to provide clarity on the operation.
The petition raises questions about the authorization of the strikes, asking whether the Nigerian government formally requested US involvement or if the strikes were carried out under a unilateral “Unwilling or Unable” doctrine by the United States. NICIP also questioned the apparent discrepancy in narratives surrounding the attacks, noting that while US sources have framed the operation as targeting threats linked to “Christian genocide,” Nigerian domestic security reports have labeled the threat as “banditry.”
“Such ideological gaps risk deepening sectarian tensions in our country,” the petition reads, urging lawmakers to intervene.
The citizens’ group also called for transparency regarding civilian safety, referencing past tragedies such as the Rann and Tudun Biri incidents, and demanded that measures taken to protect Nigerian civilians during the strikes be disclosed.
NICIP further criticized the silence of the Nigerian military, saying that the secondary role it played in the announcement of the airstrikes was “a slight to our national pride and a danger to our constitutional order.” The petition requests a full “After-Action Report” from the Ministry of Defense to be made public.
The National Assembly has yet to respond to the petition. NICIP stressed that the matter is of urgent national importance, invoking the Assembly’s oversight powers under Sections 4 and 5 of the 1999 Constitution, which vest the security and sovereignty of the nation in the Federal Government, subject to parliamentary oversight.
