The men also mocked the American military, calling it a disgrace and boasting that Nigerians were stronger than any foreign or local armed force.
Some men suspected to be herdsmen were seen sitting, rolling and playing with what they claimed were fragments of a bomb dropped by the United States military on Christmas Day in Jabo community, Sokoto State.
In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, the men, dressed like herdsmen, were heard speaking in Hausa while openly mocking the U.S. and belittling the power of the American military.
They claimed that no U.S. bomb or missile could ever successfully hit Nigerian soil.
The video shows the men gathered around the metallic fragment, handling it casually and laughing as if it posed no danger. Meanwhile, one of the individuals was heard urging the others to “show their strength,” while praying that the object would not explode.
WATCH: Sokoto Men Play With U.S. Bomb Fragments, Mock American Military, Boast Nigerians Are Stronger pic.twitter.com/FhJHlVcbuO
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) January 2, 2026
“Show your strength, my people. I am praying for you that this fragment will not explode by God’s grace,” one of the men said.
The men also mocked the American military, calling it a disgrace and boasting that Nigerians were stronger than any foreign or local armed force.
“Army, you are a disgrace. We Nigerians supersede you. Nothing can defeat us except God’s wish,” another voice said in the video.
“Nuclear weapons will never work in Nigeria. The American government should stay clear out of our domain. We are stronger than you.”
The men went further to curse the U.S., claiming that all “bad wishes” directed at them would return to the sender, while repeatedly describing America as disgraced.
“All your bad wishes return back to you. America, you have been disgraced,” one of them added.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) appealed to residents of Sokoto State to return explosive materials allegedly taken from the site of a U.S. Christmas Day airstrike in Jabo community, warning that the items posed a grave danger to anyone in possession of them and to the wider public.
Speaking on Wednesday while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, said the military was concerned that sensitive and highly dangerous materials from the blast scene had been removed by unauthorised persons.
Onoja said the Armed Forces did not expect civilians to pick up or keep such materials, stressing that specialised military formations are trained and mandated to recover and neutralise explosive devices.
“We can only appeal to them to return all materials that may prove harmful to them,” Onoja said. “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.”
The senior military officer urged the media to help spread the message, calling on those in possession of the materials to return them to nearby military bases or recognised security locations to enable 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.