The Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria have commended the United States government and President Donald Trump for bombing a camp of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Sokoto State, North-West Nigeria on Christmas Day.

The ballistic strikes came barely a month after Mr Trump designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern and threatened military invasion to eliminate “Islamic terrorists killing Christians in Nigeria.”

Mr Trump on Thursday announced that the U.S. military carried out a series of air strikes against terrorist targets in the northern part of Nigeria, marking America’s first ever kinetic action in the West African country.

In separate interviews with Peoples Gazette on Friday, the Anglican Communion and the PFN sought a continuation of such attacks on terrorists across Nigeria.

“The Church of Nigeria through the primate has always made the stance of the church known on the insecurity of this country. Where help is needed, the country should ask for help,” Korede Akin, communications officer, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion told The Gazette.

He further cited a recent speech given by the primate of the Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Henry Ndukuba, where he urged the Nigerian government to collaborate with the international community in the fight against insurgents.“But on this bombing of ISWAP by the U.S., it is a good thing in my personal opinion, and more of it, if targeted at the real criminals, is good news to Nigerians to see those terrorising them killed,” Mr Akin added.

Archbishop Emmah Isong, the PFN’s national vice president from the South-South region, who welcomed the development further noted that the intervention by the U.S. government is commendable as Nigerians have suffered great losses from terrorists for decades. 

“Nigeria has suffered in the hands of several terrorist groups for decades, our military, police and other security agencies have complained about being under trained under equiped, under mobilized, our military is overwhelmed, Nigerian Muslims and Christians have complained to the world for help, God raised the US through Trump to help Nigeria decimate these people,” Mr Isong said, adding that “the U.S. government should step up beyond bombing terrorists, but also go after individuals funding and sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria.”

The spokespersons for the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Catholic Church could not be reached for comments over the development. 

However, Abimbola Ayuba, CAN’s director for national issues, declined comments on Friday when contacted by our correspondent. “No comments please,” Mr Ayuba simply said on WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, Ishaq Akintola, the executive director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), in a statement issued on Friday, 26 December, 2025, said “although terrorists deserve nothing but annihilation and attacks on them are justifiable, such attacks must cause no civilian casualties.”

He claimed that some of the air strikes launched by the United States of America “against alleged terrorists’ bases in North Western Nigeria and Offa in Kwara State” on Christmas Day, “fell on a farmland in Sokoto, and destroyed several buildings.”

The statement read in part, “While MURIC welcomes airstrikes against terrorists, it frowns upon civilian collateral damages. We gathered that the strike on Jabo area in Tambuwal Local Government actually fell on a farmland. But the strike on Offa, Kwara State, destroyed several buildings.

“MURIC condemns the alleged destruction of the farmland in Jabo area of Sokoto and some private buildings in the strike on Offa, Kwara State. This destruction will cause additional hardship on residents of the area. We therefore demand immediate compensation for the owners of the properties.

‎”Our emphasis is on the safety of civilians. We recall our position which was made on Sunday, 2November, 2025 when the US first threatened to attack Nigeria. We said, ‘US strikes will make sense if they are directed at terrorist groups like Boko Haram, ISIS and ISWAP’,” the statement by MURIC noted.

Though the Nigerian-U.S. collaboration is being coordinated by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu on the Nigerian side, the NSA, however, did not respond to an inquiry over the development by The Gazette on Friday.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga did not also take his calls, and didn’t respond to text and WhatsApp messages from our correspondent on Friday.