Resign if you can’t secure Nigeria, top civil groups tell Tinubu after U.S. airstrikes

A coalition of 88 Nigerian civil society organizations has accused President Bola Tinubu of failing in his constitutional role as commander-in-chief following U.S. airstrikes targeting Islamic State-linked militants on Nigerian soil, intensifying scrutiny of Abuja’s handling of insecurity that has plagued the country for years.

The criticism came Monday, days after the United States carried out strikes on Christmas Day against militants operating in Sokoto and Zamfara states. The strikes, reported by President Donald Trump, marked one of the rare instances of direct American military action inside Nigeria in recent years.

President Trump said he authorized the attack in response to killings of Christians in Nigeria, which the U.S. leader has spoken against since November.

Nigerian authorities have yet to issue a detailed public briefing on the operation, including its legal basis, scope or civilian harm safeguards. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Information earlier claimed the attack was a joint operation between Nigeria and the U.S.

President Tinubu has not commented on the strikes. The Nigerian leader left the country for Europe on holidays on Sunday amid uproar over the operation.

In a statement released on Monday, the civil society coalition said the absence of public communication from the presidency, security chiefs and the National Assembly amounted to an abdication of responsibility and raised serious questions about sovereignty and democratic oversight.

“By inviting a foreign government to manage what is fundamentally an internal security challenge, the President ceded sovereign authority in a manner that undermines Nigeria’s constitutional order,” the groups said, adding that the silence of senior officials after the strikes had deepened public mistrust.

No Transparency

Nigeria has long cooperated with foreign partners – including the United States, France and the United Kingdom – on intelligence sharing, training and logistics in its fight against jihadist groups. However, direct foreign airstrikes inside Nigerian territory have historically been politically sensitive, particularly given public concerns over civilian casualties and accountability.

U.S. Africa Command has said its operations in the region are conducted in partnership with host governments and aimed at degrading extremist networks that threaten regional stability.

The civil society coalition acknowledged the importance of international counterterrorism cooperation but said any such operation must be grounded in transparency, civilian protection and constitutional oversight. The groups cited Section 14(2)(b) of Nigeria’s constitution, which makes the security and welfare of citizens the primary purpose of government.

They also raised concerns over reports that debris from expended munitions landed on farmlands in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State and near a hotel in Offa, Kwara State, calling for independent investigations and public disclosure of findings.

While the Nigerian Air Force inaugurated a Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Board earlier this year, the coalition said no clear civilian protection framework had been publicly articulated for the Christmas Day operation.

The statement was endorsed by prominent organisations including Amnesty International Nigeria, BudgIT, CLEEN Foundation, SBM Intelligence, Yiaga Africa, CISLAC, Media Rights Agenda and the Kukah Centre, alongside dozens of community-based and rights groups nationwide.

In unusually blunt language, the coalition warned that if Nigeria’s leadership believes it lacks the capacity to manage internal security without ceding authority to a foreign power, constitutional responsibility “demands resignation.”

“If the President and his security leadership have concluded that they lack the capacity to manage Nigeria’s internal security challenges and would rather cede such authority to a foreign power, then constitutional responsibility and democratic integrity demand that they resign,” it said.

The presidency did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.