Nigeria: No, US Military Has Not Bombed Nigeria’s Capital City in an Attempt to Capture President Bola Tinubu

No, US military has not bombed Nigeria’s capital city in an attempt to capture president Bola Tinubu

IN SHORT: A post circulating on Facebook claims that the US military has bombed Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, in an attempt to capture president Bola Tinubu “amid drug allegations”. But the claim is false.

A “breaking news” report circulating online in January 2026 claims that the US military has attempted to capture Nigerian president Bola Tinubu “amid drug allegations”.

According to the report, US soldiers launched an “intense operation” on Aso Rock, the official residence and office of the Nigerian president, located in Abuja.

The report reads:

Heavy military bombardment has rocked the Nigerian capital as U.S. forces attempt to seize President Bola Tinubu from Aso Rock, the presidential villa. This daring raid comes just one day after reports emerged of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture in a similar operation allegedly orchestrated by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

However, as of the time of filing this report, there is no official confirmation from the Nigerian government, the Nigerian military, or the United States authorities regarding any clash, bombardment, or attempted arrest of President Tinubu.

The claim began circulating on 4 January, a day after the US military attacked Venezuela and captured president Nicolás Maduro and his wife. They were taken to the United States on charges of drug trafficking and possession of machine guns, among others.

Critics have long associated Tinubu with drug trafficking in the US due to his forfeiture of US$460,000 in 1993. The funds, traced to Tinubu’s bank account, were allegedly proceeds of heroin distribution in Chicago, a city in the US state of Illinois.

Tinubu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and there is no evidence that he has been prosecuted or convicted of drug charges.

But did the US military attack Abuja in an attempt to capture Tinubu to face drug charges like Maduro? We checked.

No evidence of claim

The first major red flag was that there were no media reports about a US airstrike on Abuja, a contrast from the Christmas US airstrike on Sokoto state in Nigeria’s north-west, which targeted terrorists.

Local and international media widely covered the attacks in Sokoto and Venezuela. If the US had attacked Abuja and attempted to capture Tinubu, it would’ve made headlines.

Furthermore, we found it highly unlikely that the US would bomb Abuja in search of Tinubu while he was in Paris, France.

On 4 January, when the “breaking news” began circulating, Tinubu posted on his official X account that he had a private lunch with Rwandan president Paul Kagame in Paris to discuss global affairs and Africa’s advancement.

We found no evidence that the US military bombed Abuja in an attempt to capture Tinubu. The claim is false.

By Africa Check