Ogona Anita
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has confirmed that the country provided the intelligence used in the recent United States airstrike carried out in Nigeria as part of a joint counterterrorism operation.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, Tuggar said, “It was Nigeria that provided the intelligence for the US strike in Nigeria.”
He explained that he held extensive consultations with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, before the operation. “I was on the phone for about 19 minutes with the US Secretary of State twice. We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike and another five minutes shortly before it went on,” he said.
The minister noted that the discussions also included consultations with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who gave the go-ahead for the operation. “We agreed that I would speak with President Tinubu for him to give the go-ahead, and I did speak with him. It was agreed,” Tuggar stated.
He added that Nigeria and the US coordinated on how the operation would be communicated publicly. “We also agreed that the statement that would follow would clearly show that this was a strike against terrorism, part of an ongoing joint operation between Nigeria and the United States,” he said.
Tuggar emphasized that the airstrike had no religious undertone, stating, “This has nothing to do with religion. It is about protecting Nigerians.
