A United States congressman, Riley Moore, has claimed that the absence of mass Christmas attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria this year is linked to recent American military action against Islamist militants in the country.
Moore contrasted this year’s festive period with the previous two, during which Christians were reportedly killed during Christmas celebrations. According to him, the difference in 2025 was the decision by the United States to carry out military strikes against terrorist groups operating in Nigeria.
In a post on X on Saturday, Moore wrote, “For the past two Christmases, Christians have been murdered in Nigeria. This year, thanks to @POTUS, Radical Islamic Terrorists were on the receiving end of 12 Tomahawk missiles as a present.” He added that the strikes carried out in coordination with the Nigerian government were “just the first step” toward ending what he described as the killing of Christians in the country.
Moore’s remarks followed earlier comments by US President Donald Trump, who announced on Thursday that American forces had conducted deadly strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in northwestern Nigeria. Trump warned that further attacks would follow if the group continued targeting Christians.
The Nigerian government has since confirmed that it authorised the operation, describing it as a joint effort with the United States that resulted in “successful precision strikes” on suspected ISIS enclaves in Sokoto State. According to a statement issued by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the airstrikes targeted two major ISIS camps within the Bauni forest axis of Tangaza Local Government Area.
The government said intelligence reports showed the camps were being used by foreign ISIS fighters infiltrating Nigeria from the Sahel region, working with local affiliates to plan large-scale attacks. The operation, which took place between 12:12am and 1:30am on Friday, December 26, 2025, was carried out with what officials described as the explicit approval of President Bola Tinubu.
Idris explained that the strikes were launched from maritime platforms in the Gulf of Guinea after extensive intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. He said 16 GPS-guided precision munitions were deployed using MQ-9 Reaper drones, successfully neutralising the targeted militants.
The government also confirmed that debris from the operation fell in parts of Sokoto and Kwara states but stressed that no civilian casualties were recorded and that security agencies quickly secured the affected areas.
