Nigeria conducted a series of counterterrorism operations across 2025 that authorities say disrupted plots, produced large numbers of arrests and rescues, and included U.S.-supported airstrikes — even as Islamic State-linked groups and other jihadist organizations expanded attacks and civilian deaths continued to mount.
The Defence Headquarters reported late December actions tied to a broader yearlong effort: on Dec. 29 Nigerian troops arrested a suspected suicide bomber, Abubakar Mustapha, at Banki Central Mosque after an intelligence-led operation, and on Dec. 31 gunmen struck a New Year’s Eve church service and a police station. Authorities said Mustapha held improvised explosive device components allegedly intended for nearby communities.
Director of Defence Media Operations Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja summarized nationwide results for 2025, saying security forces killed at least 20 senior terrorist commanders, detained 4,375 suspects, secured the surrender of 1,616 fighters and family members, and freed 2,336 kidnapped victims. Regional tallies included more than 1,300 arrests and nearly 500 hostages rescued in the northeast, and 669 arrests with 966 hostages rescued in the northwest.
Onoja also confirmed joint U.S.-Nigeria airstrikes in Sokoto State in late December that targeted Islamic State-linked enclaves used by foreign fighters. U.S. Africa Command said the strikes, conducted Dec. 25–26 in the Bauni forest area of Tangaza district, employed MQ-9 Reaper drones with GPS-guided munitions and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from USS Paul Ignatius. AFRICOM said multiple ISIS-linked militants were killed; exact figures were not released.
U.S. involvement represented a marked shift from earlier assistance, which had focused on training, intelligence sharing and equipment transfers. Before 2025 U.S. support included State Department anti-terror training, intelligence support from U.S. Africa Command, and equipment transfers constrained at times by human-rights considerations. The December strikes were characterized by officials as the first acknowledged direct U.S. combat action on Nigerian soil.
Humanitarian and casualty figures cited in reporting underscore the violence’s toll. Intersociety recorded 7,087 Christians killed and 7,899 abducted in the first 220 days of 2025; a separate European Parliament inquiry cited similar totals for the year’s first seven months. Since 2009, Intersociety’s data lists more than 185,000 slayings in Nigeria, including more than 125,000 Christians and some 60,000 Muslims, plus widespread destruction of places of worship.
The expanding threat includes several armed groups. ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) was described in 2025 reporting as the most active ISIS affiliate, with estimates of 8,000–12,000 fighters and hundreds of attacks claimed over a 12-month span. Boko Haram fighters continued operations across the Lake Chad Basin. Newer groups such as Lakurawa, linked to Islamic State Sahel Province, were named among targets of the December strikes, while Fulani extremist factions and an Ansaru resurgence also contributed to violence in other regions.
In November 2025 the U.S. designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern following attacks and large-scale kidnappings. U.S. statements warned of aid consequences and said direct intervention was possible if violence persisted; Nigerian authorities coordinated the December strikes with U.S. forces, officials said. Nigeria ranked sixth on the 2025 Global Terrorism Index in published rankings and has faced prolonged displacement and a stretched military across multiple fronts.
Officials and experts cited in reporting urged continued intelligence sharing, targeted strikes, training and support for Nigerian forces as measures to degrade militant capability and protect civilians. Reporting shows late‑2025 operations yielded tactical results — arrests, rescues and strikes — while also noting the wider challenge of multiple active groups across several regions.