Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has hinted that Ghana played a role in the Christmas Day airstrike by the United States (US) against terrorist targets in Nigeria.

During a panel discussion at Chatham House on March 10, 2026, the minister indicated that the airstrike by the US, which was against Islamic jihadists in Sokoto in the northern part of Nigeria, was requested by the Nigerian government.

He went on to state that the US and Nigerian governments contacted Ghana to play a role in the airstrike.

“We also take the view that any operation, any intervention must be on a case-by-case basis, and there has to be express approval. So, the recent attacks in Nigeria, the Nigerians will confirm to you that they invited the Americans, and they also reached out to Ghana to collaborate. Both the Nigerians and the Americans,” he said.

Ablakwa, who didn’t state exactly what role Ghana was asked to play in the strikes, or whether it was accepted, said that the government of Ghana would not take any step that violates its sovereignty or that of another country.

“Sovereignty has to be respected. Territorial integrity has to be respected. You must be invited, and we must all agree on the scope of the intervention, because we do not want this to lead to another Venezuelan situation or some other, you know, geopolitical matter, because sovereignty is important, territorial integrity is important.

“We must know exactly what the scope is, what you are coming to do, the nature of the intervention. It's very, very important. I mean, our citizens would not forgive us, and legitimately so, if we just, you know, take away their sovereignty and allow external elements to just come in and do whatever they want,” he said.

On December 25, 2025, the US launched airstrikes against the Islamic State in Nigeria, which the country’s president, Donald Trump, reportedly described as "a Christmas present."

Before the strikes, President Trump, in October 2025, threatened military action against Nigeria over what he described as a Christian genocide.

In November 2025, Trump doubled down on his remarks, stating that the United States would not stand by while Christians were being killed in the West African country.

He subsequently ordered the Department of War to prepare for possible action in Nigeria, warning that the US military could intervene to eliminate terrorist groups.

"We're going to do things to Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about. And we may very well go into that now-disgraced country, guns blazing, to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible, horrible atrocities. I'm hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it would be fast, vicious, and sweet, just as the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians," Trump earlier warned.

US deploys military troops to Nigeria - Report

Watch a video of Ablakwa's remark below:

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Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has confirmed that the United States and Nigeria reached out to Ghana to collaborate on the Christmas Day strikes on ISIS targets in Sokoto State, stressing that the country retains sovereignty in its strategic defence cooperation with foreign partners. Video Credit: Chatham House

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