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By Goli Innocent
Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has openly welcomed recent United States military strikes against terrorist groups in northern Nigeria, describing the Christmas Day operation ordered by President Donald Trump as a “blessing” and calling for deeper security collaboration between both countries.
Speaking during a visit to Washington, D.C., Mrs Tinubu said Nigeria was eager for sustained U.S. involvement as the country battles Islamist militants and armed bandits responsible for widespread killings, kidnappings and attacks on rural communities.
“Nigeria is looking forward to collaboration,” she said in an interview with Fox News. “We are expecting that there will be more. The intervention of the U.S. was quite a welcome development.”
The comments come amid renewed scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers over religious violence in Nigeria, particularly attacks on Christian communities in the north and Middle Belt.
Trump previously designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over religious freedom violations, a label the Tinubu administration has pushed back against.
Mrs Tinubu insisted the violence afflicting Nigeria cuts across religious lines, noting that extremist groups have also targeted Muslim-majority communities that reject their ideology.
Earlier this year, gunmen believed to be Islamist militants killed at least 162 people in Kwara State, including Muslims who resisted extremist demands.
“Terrorist groups hide in the forests. Bandits kidnap for ransom,” she said. “We are concerned about our people’s safety.”
Trump confirmed on Christmas Day that U.S. forces had carried out airstrikes against ISIS-linked targets in northwest Nigeria, marking Washington’s first direct kinetic action in the country. He warned that further strikes would follow if attacks on Christians continued.
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“I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” Trump said at the time, “but if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”
Mrs Tinubu attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, where Trump praised her publicly.
The visit also formed part of Nigeria’s effort to reset relations with Washington following past tensions over security, governance and religious freedom concerns.
According to the First Lady, Nigeria has declared a national security emergency, is recruiting 50,000 new police officers, and has redeployed over 11,000 personnel from VIP protection to conflict-prone areas.
She said these measures were aimed at restoring stability and rebuilding investor confidence.
Security, she added, is closely linked to economic recovery, especially as Nigeria seeks foreign investment in critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel resources increasingly important to U.S. efforts to counter China’s influence in Africa.
“We’re doing all we can to make sure that when investors come, they feel comfortable,” she said.
Violence linked to Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province and criminal bandit networks has killed tens of thousands of Nigerians over the past decade, displacing millions and destabilising large swathes of the country.
While Christian advocacy groups argue believers have borne a disproportionate share of the violence, the Nigerian government maintains the crisis is a broader security challenge requiring international cooperation rather than religious framing.
For Abuja, Mrs Tinubu’s message in Washington was clear: Nigeria wants stronger U.S. engagement, militarily, diplomatically and economically as it confronts one of the most complex security crises in its history.
