Residents of Jabo village in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State have been thrown into fear and confusion after debris from a United States missile strike landed close to their only health facility.
The incident occurred late Thursday night when part of a missile fired during a US operation crashed into a field near the village, just metres away from a Primary Health Centre. Though no casualties were recorded, the explosion caused panic and sleeplessness among residents.
A local farmer, Suleiman Kagara, said he heard a loud blast around 10 p.m. and saw flames as an object flew over the village before crashing to the ground. He described the incident as unprecedented in the community.
“We couldn’t sleep. We have never seen anything like this before,” he said.
US President Donald Trump later confirmed that the strike was part of a military operation targeting ISIS militants in the region, describing it as a “powerful and deadly strike” against terrorists. According to the US Africa Command, several ISIS fighters were neutralised during the operation.
However, residents of Jabo say the explanation does not align with realities on the ground. While parts of Sokoto State face banditry and kidnapping, locals insist Jabo has no history of ISIS presence or terrorist activity. They also stressed that Christians and Muslims coexist peacefully in the community.
“In Jabo, Christians are our brothers. There are no religious conflicts here,” Kagara said.
Bashar Isah Jabo, a member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly representing Tambuwal, described the village as peaceful and said there was no known history of ISIS, Lakurawa, or other terrorist groups operating in the area. He confirmed that the projectile landed about 500 metres from the health centre, triggering fear and panic.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Information later stated that the strike was a joint US-Nigeria operation targeting ISIS hideouts in Tangaza Local Government Area, which borders Niger Republic. The ministry acknowledged that debris from the munitions fell in Jabo and another location in Kwara State but stressed that no civilians were harmed.
Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said President Bola Tinubu approved the operation and that discussions had taken place with US officials beforehand. He emphasised that the operation was not religiously motivated but aimed at protecting civilians.
Security analysts note that Nigeria’s insecurity is driven by multiple factors beyond religion, including weak governance, communal conflicts, ethnic tensions, and competition over land and water between farmers and herders.
Nnamdi Obasi of the International Crisis Group said while US airstrikes may weaken some armed groups, they are unlikely to end Nigeria’s widespread violence, which he said is rooted mainly in governance failures.
