On Christmas night, a U.S. airstrike struck a quiet Nigerian village, deepening unease and exposing new tensions in the fight against extremism.
Newsroom (30/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) Christmas night in the Nigerian village of Jabo began in stillness. Families were returning from evening prayers and modest holiday gatherings when a thunderous crash split the air.
Sanusi Madabo, a 40-year-old farmer, was preparing for bed when he heard the noise and stepped out of his mud house. “At first, I thought it was a plane crashing,” he said. Moments later, the horizon erupted in red fire. “It was almost like daytime,” he recalled.
By dawn, Madabo would learn he had witnessed a U.S. airstrike — one carried out on the holiest night of the year.
That same evening in Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump hailed what he called a “powerful and deadly strike” against “ISIS Terrorist Scum in north-west Nigeria.” In Abuja, the Nigerian government confirmed the strike was a joint mission, part of what it described as “strategic cooperation” between the two countries.
Panic on a Holy Night
The explosions turned Christmas night into chaos. “Our rooms began to shake, and then fire broke out,” said Abubakar Sani, who lives close to the impact site. Families spilled into the dark, torn between confusion and terror.
No casualties were reported, but the village — which had never seen a terror attack — was left reeling. “The Nigerian government should protect us,” Sani said quietly. “We have never experienced anything like this before.”
The Nigerian military has not released details on how many sites were targeted or whether militants were among them. For villagers celebrating Christmas, the airstrike replaced carols and cooking fires with deafening blasts and the smell of smoke.
Fragile Partnership
The Christmas strike reflects a new, uneasy chapter in U.S.-Nigerian relations. For months, diplomatic tensions had simmered over Washington’s claim that Nigeria faced a “Christian genocide” — an assertion the Nigerian government rejected.
By late December, however, that standoff seemed to give way to collaboration. Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the successful strike stemmed from shared intelligence.
Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar called it “a new phase of an old conflict,” acknowledging that conflict in Nigeria has long crossed religious lines. “For us, it is something that has been ongoing,” he said. Yet, carrying out coordinated U.S. air operations on Nigerian soil represents a striking escalation.
A Murky Target
Analysts believe the operation may have aimed at the Lakurawa group, a little-known militant network that emerged in 2018. Comprised largely of foreign fighters from the Sahel, Lakurawa’s link to the Islamic State remains uncertain.
“What might have happened is that, working with the American government, Nigeria identified Lakurawa as a threat,” said Bulama Burkati, a security analyst at the Tony Blair Institute. But he warned that official silence only deepens fear.
“What can help in dousing the tension is for both governments to declare who was targeted and what was attacked,” Burkati said. “The more opaque they are, the more panic grows.”
After the Flames
Now, debris from the missiles lies scattered through Jabo’s fields. Some residents have begun scavenging for scrap metal to sell, unaware of the dangers.
Village elder Aliyu Garba worries for their safety — and their spirit. “People rushed to the scene before the soldiers arrived,” he said. “They are picking things up from the ground. I fear someone will get hurt.”
Among those most shaken is 17-year-old Balira Sa’idu, who planned to marry before the year’s end. “I am supposed to be thinking about my wedding,” she said. “But right now I am panicking. The strike has changed everything. My family is afraid, and I don’t even know if it’s safe to stay in Jabo.”
On a night meant for peace, the sound of war echoed instead. For villagers who still cannot sleep beneath the flicker of foreign aircraft, Christmas will now forever mean the night the sky turned red.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
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