Terrorists in Nigeria’s north have begun fleeing their bases in the wake of US airstrikes targeting Islamic State positions, with community leaders reporting small-scale migrations to safer areas amid heightened security alerts, local officials and residents said.
The relocations follow President Donald Trump’s announcement of “deadly strikes” on jihadist sites in Sokoto state on December 25, which Nigerian authorities confirmed as part of collaborative efforts, though no fatalities were reported from the missile impacts.
Community figures in affected regions noted disruptions to bandit operations, with groups abandoning camps and routes after the attacks hit farmlands in Jabo, Tambuwal local government area, and caused property damage in Offa, Kwara state.
Further strikes targeted suspected hideouts of the Lakurawa armed faction in Sokoto’s Tangaza area, injuring several civilians and destroying assets valued at millions of naira, according to local accounts.
Daniel Abomtse, chairman of the Traditional Council in Benue state’s Gwer West local government, warned of armed herders entering his jurisdiction.
“I felt their movement in my local government as well as in Agatu LGA. They have been running away from Sokoto to coastal areas in Gwer West and Agatu with sophisticated arms and grazing openly. They are in my domain,” Abomtse said.
Praising the US intervention, he urged expansion: “What President Trump has done is the best thing to have happened to the government of Nigeria. I commend him for dealing with the menace in the country, which began about 16 years ago.”
A Tangaza community leader, speaking anonymously, described the airstrike as having “sent a strong signal” that compelled criminals to scatter, adding: “People are cautious, but there is relief that their hideouts were hit.”
US Congressman Riley Moore credited the operation with averting holiday violence: “The strikes prevented deadly Christmas attacks in Nigeria.”
Security sources indicated bandits were shifting to remote forests or border zones to dodge surveillance, prompting intensified patrols and joint federal operations.
Sokoto state officials are conducting intelligence reviews to track the movements, with a senior figure noting agencies are on high alert to block infiltrations into stable communities.
Security analyst Bashar Umar highlighted enhanced monitoring in vulnerable border areas through state-military partnerships to contain the militants’ dispersal.
