In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Lagos, Saturday, 27/12/2025.
The Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), while unequivocally condemning terrorism in all its forms and affirming the collective desire of Nigerians to see the complete eradication of violent extremist groups across the country, views with deep concern and sober reservations the recent announcement by the United States government of a military strike on alleged ISIL targets within Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Let it be clearly stated: Nigerians want security, not symbolism; sovereignty, not subordination. The troubling aspect of this development is not merely the strike itself, but the humiliating sequence of disclosure. Nigerians did not first hear from their own government about a sensitive military operation carried out on their soil. Instead, the news came from Washington – crafted in a language designed to reassure an American domestic audience, not to respect Nigerian citizens or institutions. This is not a minor diplomatic oversight. It is a loud and politically costly symbolism. When foreign capitals announce military actions within Nigeria before Abuja does, it raises fundamental questions about transparency, authority, and national dignity. A government that truly commands its security architecture does not outsource public accountability to foreign press briefings.
As Nigerians await fuller and franker explanations from their government on this grave national issue, MPAC reminds the authorities that cooperation and partnership do not mean surrendering the sword while merely holding the scabbard. Intelligence sharing is not the same as operational dependency. Strategic alliance must never degenerate into strategic helplessness.
The government has indicated that Nigerian intelligence contributed to the operation, while the United States possessed the capability to execute a “precision strike.” This explanation raises uncomfortable contradictions. The same Nigerian state that demonstrated the capacity to project military force beyond its borders, including decisive intervention in the political crisis of the Benin Republic, cannot credibly argue incapacity when it comes to enforcing peace within Sokoto, a sovereign part of its own territory.
History offers painful lessons that Nigerians cannot afford to ignore. The devastating consequences of U.S. military interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan – often justified as “precision attacks on terrorist targets”, carried out “in coordination with the nation’s government” – are well documented, with thousands of innocent civilians paying the ultimate price. These memories are further compounded by previous inflammatory rhetoric from the U.S. leadership, including threats of a “fast, vicious and sweet” intervention in Nigeria under the guise of protecting Christians.
We add that too many Nigerian lives have been lost to terrorism, most of them Muslims, and it is unacceptable that the country should become a playground for the adventure of a U.S. President who has demonstrated disdain for Muslims and has directly threatened that his mission is to defend Christianity and Christians. A narrative that is toxic, divisive, and dangerous.
Security is the primary duty of any government. That duty is non-negotiable and cannot be subcontracted. When a state begins to rely on foreign jets to enforce peace within its borders, it sends a perilous message to its citizens and to the international community – that it no longer fully trusts its own strength, institutions, or armed forces.
MPAC therefore calls on the Nigerian government to urgently clarify the legal, operational, and diplomatic framework under which this strike occurred; to reassure Nigerians that national sovereignty remains intact; and to recommit, in clear and unmistakable terms, to building a security architecture that is Nigerian-led, Nigerian-controlled, and Nigerian-accountable. Nigeria does not need performative security. Nigeria needs principled leadership, transparent governance, and the courage to defend all its people and its sovereignty – without apology.
-The End-
Disu Kamor
Executive Chairman
Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), Nigeria
disu.kamor@mpac-ng.org
