The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised the Federal Government over what it described as a troubling communication failure that saw the United States announce a terrorist strike carried out in Nigeria before Nigerian authorities informed the public.

The party said Nigerians first learned about the operation through verified social media accounts of former United States President Donald Trump and other American officials, while Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement several hours later that merely acknowledged awareness and cooperation.

The PDP said the sequence of events raises serious concerns about sovereignty, transparency and public trust.

The criticism was contained in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Comrade Ini Ememobong, on Friday.

“Nigerians were notified of the American strike on terrorists’ assets through the verified social media pages of President Trump and other American officials before the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a vague statement many hours later, offering a passive confirmation of the knowledge and cooperation of the Nigerian Government in the operation,” Ememobong said.

While recognising the value of global partnerships in tackling terrorism, the PDP said such cooperation must not come at the expense of Nigeria’s authority or effective communication with its citizens.

“While international cooperation in the fight against high crimes like terrorism is very much appreciated, the Peoples Democratic Party is deeply concerned about a communication structure where foreign powers break the news of security operations in our country before our government does,” Ememobong lamented.

The opposition party said the development was even more worrying given past reports of foreign military activity within Nigeria without clear public knowledge or approval.

The PDP argued that the Federal Government should have taken the lead in informing citizens about the operation in order to manage public perception and prevent uncertainty.

“The Federal Government should have been the first to report the news in order to properly sensitize the Nigerian populace, instead of waiting to confirm news already in public circulation, unless they were taken unawares like the rest of the citizens,” it maintained.

The party further called for a review of Nigeria’s defence engagements with the United States, urging a shift towards arrangements that strengthen local capacity rather than reliance on external military actions.

“We urge the Federal Government to ensure that the defence agreement with the United States of America includes joint operations, which will ultimately result in knowledge sharing and experiential learning to help Nigeria sustainably combat insecurity, rather than full externally-led ‘precision attacks’,” Ememobong appealed.