MADUGURI: Nigeria’s military has stepped up coordinated land and air offensives in parts of the North amid diplomatic tension sparked by a threat from former United States President Donald Trump to deploy American forces to Nigeria over alleged killings of Christians.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said he had directed the US Department of War to prepare for possible action if what he described as the persecution of Christians continued. He also warned that Washington could suspend aid to Abuja should the Tinubu administration fail to address the situation.
If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria and may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns blazing, to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists committing these horrible atrocities, Trump said.
I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians, he added.
Amid the controversy, fresh clashes have erupted between rival terrorist factions in Borno State. No fewer than 50 insurgents were reported killed in a violent confrontation between Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters over territorial control in Abadam Local Government Area.
The bloody encounter occurred on Sunday evening in Toumbun Gini, an island community, when ISWAP launched an offensive to reclaim territory earlier seized by Boko Haram.
A video obtained showed bodies floating in canoes as Boko Haram fighters chanted “Allahu Akbar, indicating they had repelled the ISWAP attack.
Local sources said ISWAP deployed about 10 heavily armed watercraft but walked into an ambush after Boko Haram obtained intelligence on their movements. Seven ISWAP boats were captured, while three others reportedly escaped with casualties.
Hours after the clash, troops of the 135 Special Forces Battalion, Sector 2, Operation Hadin Kai, foiled a Boko Haram ambush on civilians in Dutse Kura, rescuing 86 victims and arresting 29 suspected logistics suppliers.
In a statement, the battalion’s spokesperson, Lt. Col. Uba Sani, said the insurgents had attempted to abduct travellers along the Buratai–Kamuya Road before being intercepted. Troops pursued the fleeing terrorists to Mangari, where 11 makeshift structures used as camps were destroyed.
Recovered items included an AK-47 rifle, five magazines with 73 rounds of ammunition, four PKT ammunition belts, five vehicles, five motorcycles, eight bicycles, and two tricycles.
In a separate operation at Mangada, troops intercepted 29 suspected logistics suppliers en route to Chilaria.
They were found with two pickup vans and a tricycle loaded with 1,000 litres of petrol, engine oil, gun-truck tyres, medical supplies, and food items. There were no troop casualties.
In another development, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said it conducted precision airstrikes on terrorist and bandit hideouts in Kwara, Borno, Katsina, and other northern states.
NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the strikes targeted logistics hubs, weapons depots, and insurgent encampments, resulting in multiple neutralisations.
He noted that air interdiction missions in Borno State dealt a heavy blow to ISWAP elements entrenched in the Northern Tumbuns. Guided by real-time intelligence, air assets struck locations around Shuwaram and Mallam Fatori where terrorists were seen mobilising on motorcycles and boats.
“The strikes destroyed insurgent hideouts, logistics hubs, and weapons storage facilities, eliminating several terrorists and crippling their mobility capabilities,” Ejodame said.
Post-strike assessments confirmed multiple neutralisations and significant degradation of ISWAP’s operational networks in the area.
Similar operations were conducted in Garin Dandi and Chigogo in Kwara State, as well as Zango Hill in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.
“In a related operation, air assets under Operation FANSAN YAMMA struck Zango Hill, the hideout of a terrorist kingpin and his fighters.
Guided by actionable intelligence, multiple attack passes destroyed key logistics hubs and neutralised several terrorists, Ejodame added.
He said the sustained counterterrorism campaign was being executed under the directive of the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, as part of efforts to neutralize extremist threats and restore peace across affected regions.
The latest security push underscores Abuja’s bid to assert sovereignty and reassure global partners amid renewed scrutiny from Washington over Nigeria’s handling of religious violence and terrorism.
