The Federal Government’s acknowledgement of intelligence cooperation with the United States—particularly around possible airstrikes against terrorist groups—should concern every Nigerian who understands the true nature of the country’s insecurity crisis.

Nigeria’s security problem is not religious.

It is a governance failure.

For years, armed groups have ravaged communities, displaced millions, and steadily weakened national unity. Throughout this period, intelligence reports, investigative journalism, and public allegations have repeatedly pointed to influential individuals—both within and outside government—who allegedly sponsor, finance, arm, or facilitate terrorism, often through cross-border networks from the Sahel. Yet the Nigerian state has consistently failed, or refused, to arrest, prosecute, and secure convictions against these powerful actors.

That failure lies at the heart of Nigeria’s insecurity.

Rather than enforce the law against those at the top, the government has chosen the path of least resistance: disarming ordinary citizens, restricting lawful self-defence, and leaving vulnerable communities exposed to violent attacks. A state that denies its people the right to protect themselves, while shielding alleged sponsors of terror, has effectively abandoned its constitutional duty.

It is against this backdrop that foreign military involvement is now being presented as a solution. It is not.

Nigeria does not need the United States, Israel, or any foreign power to secure its territory. History clearly shows that external military intervention rarely cures internal governance failures. Afghanistan was “secured” and later handed back to the Taliban. Iraq was “liberated” and left deeply fractured. Libya was “saved” through foreign intervention; Muammar Gaddafi was killed, and the state collapsed into chaos. Syria today is controlled by actors once labelled terrorists, now selectively legitimised by foreign interests.

These are not success stories. They are cautionary tales.

It is therefore misleading—and dangerous—to frame foreign involvement as an effort to protect Christians or to wage war against Islam in Nigeria. Leaders such as Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu presided over unresolved conflicts and serious human rights concerns within their own spheres. They cannot credibly present themselves as guardians of Nigerian lives.

Even more troubling is the risk that foreign intervention will recast Nigeria’s crisis as a religious war. Nigeria’s insecurity is not Christianity versus Islam. It is impunity versus justice. It is elite protection versus accountability.

If Nigeria allows this crisis to be reframed along religious lines, the consequences will be devastating. Such a conflict will not be confined to forests and remote areas. It will engulf cities, towns, villages, and homes—tearing the country apart in ways that may be impossible to reverse.

Nigeria does not need foreign bombs.

Nigeria needs effective law enforcement.

Nigeria needs arrests, prosecutions, and convictions of terror sponsors—no matter how highly placed they may be.

Above all, Nigeria needs a government willing to apply the law without fear or favour.

Until justice is enforced, no intelligence sharing, no airstrike, and no foreign partnership will deliver peace.

Security without justice is nothing more than an illusion.

US airstrikes missed target, missiles hit empty field – Ex-FRCN DG Salihu

On December 25, the US carried out several airstrikes aimed at ISIS fighters in Sokoto, located in north-west Nigeria.

The US Africa Command, AFRICOM, later explained on X that the operation was carried out with the collaboration of the Nigerian government.

AFRICOM said the attack showed the strength of the US military and its determination to stop terrorist threats both within the US and in other countries.

However, Salihu shared a different account in a post on X, saying he personally spoke with Bashar Isah Jabo, a member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, who visited the affected area shortly after the strike.

According to the lawmaker, the missiles fell on an open field about 300 meters away from a local hospital. No one was injured or killed in the incident.

Salihu added that Jabo village had not experienced any terrorist activity or ISWAP presence throughout 2025. He said there were also no records of farmer-herder conflicts in the area.

He explained that villagers only found missile fragments near a large crater, with no damage to homes or loss of life.

Salihu questioned the purpose of the strike and wondered if it was meant to make headlines rather than eliminate real threats.

While supporting cooperation to fight terrorism, he said attacks should focus on known terrorist leaders and strongholds.

He called on Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters to investigate the incident and provide a clear report to the public.

Salihu also expressed relief that the missiles did not hit the hospital or harm innocent residents of Jabo village.

“I just spoke with Hon Sarkin Yaki Jabo Member Sokoto State Assembly who visited Jabo after the strike at 10:30pm last night. The US strike in Jabo near Tambuwal wasn’t a precision strike. No casualties. Missiles landed in a plain field 300metres away from a Local Hospital,” he said.