Villagers in northwestern Nigeria have been left terrified and confused after a series of powerful US airstrikes targeted an alleged Islamic State camp, causing homes to shake and the night sky to glow an intense red for hours.
Night Sky Turns Red in Sokoto Village
The incident occurred on Thursday night in the village of Jabo, located in Nigeria's Sokoto state. Sanusi Madabo, a 40-year-old farmer, was preparing for bed when he heard a deafening noise resembling a plane crash. Rushing outside his mud house with his wife, he witnessed an astonishing sight. "The light burned bright for hours," Madabo told The Associated Press. "It was almost like daytime."
He, like many of his neighbours, only learned later that the spectacle was the result of a US military strike, announced by then-President Donald Trump as a "powerful and deadly strike" against ISIS targets. The Nigerian government subsequently confirmed the operation was a joint collaboration with American forces.
Residents Left Vulnerable and Seeking Answers
The attack has sown fear in a community unaccustomed to such direct violence. Abubakar Sani, who lives close to the blast site, recalled the intense heat and the shaking of his rooms before fire broke out. "The Nigerian government should take appropriate measures to protect us as citizens," he urged. "We have never experienced anything like this before."
This sentiment was echoed by Bulama Burkati, a security analyst at the Tony Blair Institute, who noted that a lack of information is compounding residents' fear. While locals report no civilian casualties and security forces have cordoned the area, official details on the militants targeted and a post-strike assessment remain undisclosed.
"What can help in dousing the tension is for the American and Nigerian governments to declare who was targeted, what was attacked, and what has happened so far," Burkati stated, warning that opacity from authorities would only escalate local panic.
A New Phase in a Complex Conflict
The strikes mark a significant development in US-Nigeria relations, which had been strained by Trump administration claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria—claims rejected by Abuja. Nigeria's Foreign Ministry now frames the action as the result of intelligence sharing and strategic coordination.
Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar described the airstrikes as a "new phase of an old conflict" and indicated more strikes could follow. Analysts suggest the target may have been the Lakurawa group, a relatively new faction in Nigeria's security landscape believed to consist largely of foreign fighters from the Sahel region, though proven links to the Islamic State remain unclear.
The human impact is profound. Village leader Aliyu Garba expressed concern that residents scavenging for metal debris could be injured. For 17-year-old Balira Sa’idu, the strike has cast a shadow over her upcoming wedding. "I am supposed to be thinking about my wedding, but right now I am panicking," she said. "The strike has changed everything."
Reported from Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday 26 December 2025, the events in Jabo village underscore the far-reaching and unsettling consequences of international counter-terrorism operations on civilian populations.
