U.S Military Strikes Conducted In December 2025 In Sokoto Killed 155 Lakurawa Terrorists, 200 Declared Missing — Report Reveals 

Fresh details have emerged about a series of United States military strikes carried out in northwestern Nigeria in December 2025, with a new report claiming that at least 155 fighters belonging to the Lakurawa armed group were killed during the operation.

 

According to an investigation published by The New Humanitarian, the strikes were conducted in collaboration with Nigerian security authorities and targeted suspected Lakurawa positions in parts of Sokoto State.

 

The report further alleges that an additional 200 fighters went missing in the days following the bombardment, suggesting the operation dealt a significant blow to the group’s operational capacity, at least in the short term.

Precision Strikes from the Gulf of Guinea

 

The report states that the December operation involved Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a United States Navy destroyer stationed in the Gulf of Guinea. These long-range precision weapons were reportedly aimed at three local government areas in Sokoto State: Isa, Tangaza, and Tambuwal.

 

Among the three locations, Tangaza is widely recognised by security analysts as a core stronghold of the Lakurawa group, which has been blamed for a wave of attacks, cattle rustling, and violent raids across parts of Sokoto, Kebbi, and neighbouring states. Isa, on the other hand, is better known as a bandit enclave allegedly dominated by the notorious armed leader Bello Turji, while Tambuwal is not typically associated with organised armed violence.

 

The inclusion of Tambuwal in the list of targeted districts has raised questions among observers, with some suggesting the strikes may have been based on intelligence indicating temporary movement of fighters or logistical support networks. However, the report notes that concrete details about the impact of the strike in Tambuwal remain sketchy.

Deadly Second Strike

According to The New Humanitarian, the most devastating impact was recorded at a Lakurawa camp in Tangaza. Sources cited in the report claim there were two separate missile strikes on the same location.

 

The first missile reportedly killed around 30 Lakurawa fighters. In the immediate aftermath, surviving members of the group are said to have converged at the site to assess the damage, evacuate the wounded, and recover bodies. It was at this point, the report alleges, that a second missile was fired, striking the gathering and causing far heavier casualties.

 

In total, an estimated 155 Lakurawa fighters were killed during the operation. This figure reportedly includes at least 19 fighters who were initially wounded in the attack but later died due to the severity of their injuries and the lack of adequate medical care in the remote area.

Key Commander Narrowly Escapes

One of the most striking details in the report is the alleged escape of a senior Lakurawa commander, Dando Sibu. According to sources familiar with the incident, Sibu left the targeted location less than five minutes before the second missile struck.

 

His survival is believed to have been a significant morale boost for the group’s remaining fighters, even as they struggled to come to terms with the scale of the losses. Analysts say the near-miss underscores both the precision and the limits of intelligence-driven strikes, particularly in regions where armed groups frequently change locations to evade detection.

Fighters Missing, Livelihoods Destroyed

Beyond the confirmed fatalities, the report claims that approximately 200 Lakurawa fighters were reported missing in the week following the strikes. While some may have been killed and not immediately accounted for, others are believed to have fled the area, gone into hiding, or crossed into neighbouring communities and states.

 

The operation is also said to have dealt a severe economic blow to the group. Nearly half of Lakurawa’s cattle were reportedly lost, either killed during the strikes or scattered as fighters fled. Cattle rustling and livestock trading are widely believed to be a major source of revenue for armed groups in the northwest, helping them fund weapons purchases, recruit fighters, and sustain their operations.

 

Security experts note that such economic losses can be as damaging as battlefield casualties, potentially weakening a group’s ability to regroup quickly. However, they also caution that armed groups in the region have shown resilience in the past, often recovering through renewed raids and alliances with other criminal networks.

Retaliatory Violence in Kebbi

Despite the heavy losses reportedly suffered in Sokoto, Lakurawa fighters are said to have launched a major retaliatory attack just days later. On 31 December 2025, the group allegedly carried out a large-scale raid on the town of Birnin Yauri in Kebbi State.

 

The attack reportedly lasted several hours and left at least 21 civilians dead. According to local accounts cited in the report, nine of the victims were allegedly beheaded, a brutal tactic often used by armed groups to instil fear and demonstrate continued strength despite military pressure.

 

The Birnin Yauri attack has raised concerns among residents and local authorities that the strikes, while tactically successful, may have triggered violent reprisals against soft civilian targets.

Narrow Focus of the Operation

The New Humanitarian report notes that the U.S. operation appeared to be narrowly focused on Lakurawa and did not target other jihadist or insurgent groups operating in Nigeria. Groups such as and the al-Qaeda-linked were reportedly not affected by the December strikes.

 

This selective approach has sparked debate among analysts about U.S. priorities in Nigeria and the wider Sahel region. Some argue that focusing on specific groups based on immediate threat assessments and intelligence partnerships makes operational sense. Others worry that leaving rival armed groups untouched could allow them to expand their influence or absorb fighters displaced by the strikes.

Silence from Officials

As of the time of the report, neither the U.S. Department of Defense nor Nigerian military authorities had publicly confirmed the details of the operation. Nigerian officials have historically been cautious about acknowledging foreign military involvement on Nigerian soil, often citing sovereignty concerns and the sensitivity of security operations.

 

Nevertheless, the revelations have reignited discussions about the extent of U.S.-Nigeria security cooperation, particularly as violence continues to plague large swathes of the northwest and northeast.

A Complex Security Landscape

While the reported killing of 155 Lakurawa fighters represents one of the deadliest single blows against the group to date, the subsequent attack in Kebbi highlights the complexity of Nigeria’s security crisis. Military victories, analysts warn, do not always translate into immediate safety for civilians.

 

As communities in Sokoto, Kebbi, and beyond continue to grapple with the fallout, the December 2025 strikes stand as a stark reminder of both the power and the limitations of military force in addressing deeply rooted armed violence. Whether the operation will have a lasting impact on Lakurawa’s influence remains an open question, one that will likely be answered in the months ahead as the group either regroups—or fractures under the weight of its losses.