Nigeria has confirmed sharing intelligence with the United States, which contributed to the airstrikes on ISIS locations in Nigeria on Christmas night.

On Friday, the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced its involvement in “structured security cooperation” with international partners, notably the U.S. This collaboration, the ministry stated, was instrumental in executing precise airstrikes against terrorist targets. The ministry highlighted that these joint security endeavors encompass intelligence sharing and strategic coordination.

“Nigeria emphasizes that its counter-terrorism initiatives prioritize the protection of civilian lives, the preservation of national unity, and the respect for the rights and dignity of all citizens, regardless of their faith or ethnicity. Any form of terrorist violence, whether aimed at Christians, Muslims, or other groups, stands in opposition to Nigeria’s core values and threatens international peace and security,” the ministry declared in a statement shared on X.

Members of St. Leo Catholic Church participate in a procession to celebrate Palm Sunday in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria, on April 13, 2025. (Adekunle Ajayi/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump revealed the Christmas night airstrikes occurred in northwest Nigeria, targeting ISIS militants whom he blamed for the persecution of Christians. He further cautioned that additional military actions would be taken if violence against Christians persisted.

“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social. 

“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.

“Under my leadership, our Country will not allow Radical Islamic Terrorism to prosper,” he continued. “May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”

A drone view of Christians departing St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church after a Sunday mass in Palmgrove, Lagos, Nigeria, Nov. 2, 2025. (Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters)

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, who has been outspoken about the violence against Christians in Nigeria, praised the strikes. The ambassador said the precision strikes showed Christians in Nigeria and around the world that Trump would “fight for them.”

Last month, Trump threatened to “do things in Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about” and “go into that now disgraced country guns-a-blazing.”

That warning set the stage for the Christmas-night strikes, which Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said fulfilled the president’s demand that the killings stop. Hegseth also included in a post on X a reference to the U.S.-Nigeria cooperation that led to the strikes.

Gunmen pick up the belongings left behind by worshippers who ran for cover after hearing gunshots, as they walk into a Church in Eruku, Kwara state, Nigeria, November 18, 2025, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)

“The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end,” Hegseth wrote on X. “The [War Department] is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas. More to come… Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation. Merry Christmas!”

Christians and Christian institutions in Nigeria have been under attack in recent months, prompting global outrage and drawing the ire of the Trump administration.

In November, armed gunmen stormed the Christ Apostolic Church, killed two people and kidnapped dozens. The 38 abducted worshipers were freed almost a week later.

This photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria shows the dormitories of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community in Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)

The attack on the Christ Apostolic Church was preceded and followed by attacks on Christian schools in Nigeria.

In the days before the attack, gunmen kidnapped 25 girls from a boarding school in Nigeria’s Kebbi State and killed at least one staffer. One of the girls managed to escape on the same day as the kidnapping, while the remaining 24 were rescued about a week later, The Associated Press reported.

Days after the attack on Christ Apostolic Church, armed attackers raided the Saint Mary’s School and kidnapped more than 300 students and staff. School officials said 50 of the students were able to escape in the following days, while 253 students and 12 teachers remain captive.