Herdsmen Play With U.S. Bomb Fragments in Sokoto, Mocks Military

Some men, reportedly herdsmen, were seen handling and playing with fragments of what they claimed was a bomb dropped by the United States military on Christmas Day in Jabo community, Sokoto State.

A video obtained by Sahara Reporters shows the men, dressed in traditional herdsmen attire, laughing and speaking in Hausa while openly mocking the U.S. military.

In the footage, the men handle the metallic fragments casually, urging each other to “show their strength” while praying that the objects would not detonate. One of the men said, “Show your strength, my people. I am praying for you that this fragment will not explode by God’s grace.”

The group derided the American military, declaring Nigerians stronger than any foreign or local force. “Army, you are a disgrace. We Nigerians supersede you. Nothing can defeat us except God’s wish,” another voice in the video said. They also dismissed the effectiveness of nuclear weapons in Nigeria and warned the U.S. to stay away from their territory.

The men went further to curse the United States, asserting that all “bad wishes” directed at them would return to the sender. “All your bad wishes return back to you. America, you have been disgraced,” one of them added.

Earlier, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had warned residents against removing explosive materials from the site of the alleged U.S. airstrike, stressing the grave danger such items pose. Major General Michael Onoja, Director of Defence Media Operations, told journalists in Abuja that the military was concerned about civilians taking possession of sensitive fragments from the blast site.

He explained that only trained military personnel are authorised to recover and neutralise explosive devices. “We don’t expect anybody to take away these materials. We have formations within the armed forces whose duty it is to recover those things,” Onoja said.

The senior officer urged the media to convey the message to those in possession of the fragments, calling on them to return the items to military or recognised security locations for safe disarmament. “So we also want you to disseminate to them that they should return them to the military or security locations so that we can disarm those things before they cause greater damage to the individuals who have taken them and to the other members of the public,” he added.