By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has said Nigeria provided the intelligence that led to the United States’ airstrike on terrorist targets in the country and formally approved the operation before it was carried out.
Tuggar disclosed this on Friday while speaking on Channels Television, a day after the US confirmed it had conducted a strike as part of counter-terrorism operations.
According to the minister, the operation was the outcome of ongoing security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States and was not motivated by religious considerations.
He said, “It’s Nigeria that provided the intelligence. I was on the phone yesterday for 19 minutes with Secretary of State Marco Rubio of the United States. We spoke extensively, and we agreed that I was going to speak with President Tinubu for President Tinubu to give the go-ahead.
“And I did speak with him and it was agreed also that the statements that would follow would be statements that would show clearly that it is a strike against terrorism and that it is part of the ongoing joint operations between Nigeria and collaboration between Nigeria and the United States.”
Tuggar said Nigeria had long sought deeper collaboration with the United States and other countries to combat terrorism, describing the strike as a vindication of the Tinubu administration’s security strategy.
The minister added, “Nigeria has remained consistent in its approach, which is to work with all partners that are committed to the fight against terrorism, irrespective of what religion, who the victims are, whether they are Muslims or Christians, and irrespective of what type of terrorism, be it terrorism being carried out in the name of one religion or the other, or indeed even bandage. So this is an ongoing process.
“We have been working closely with the Americans. This is what we’ve always been hoping for: to work with the Americans, work with other countries to combat terrorism, to stop the death of innocent Nigerians. So this is a vindication of the Tinubu administration.
“For those who thought that there was some foot-dragging or, you know, the government wasn’t doing enough, it is a clear indication that we are committed and we are prepared to work with all countries.”
He stressed that the operation had nothing to do with religion, noting that its sole purpose was to protect innocent lives, whether Nigerian or foreign.
“It is not to do with religion, it is to do with protecting Nigerians and the innocent lives of either Nigerians or non-Nigerians. This was clear. We spoke twice.
“We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike, and then we spoke again for another five minutes before it went on,” he said.
The US President, Donald Trump, on Thursday confirmed the US carried out an airstrike targeting suspected terrorist elements in Nigeria.
The Punch