December 28, (THEWILL) — The issues of sovereignty, political will and re-election in 2027 have cropped up in the aftermath of the US-led airstrike in Jabo village in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Christmas Day with the generality of hailing the attack as a major departure from the uncertainty that has surrounded the prosecution of the fight against prolonged terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in the country.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, who disclosed at the weekend that he spoke with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, nine minutes before the attack, emphasised that the strikes were the result of structured intelligence sharing and strategic coordination aimed at addressing the “persistent threat of terrorism and violent extremism.” He disclosed that they both had agreed to issue a joint statement, but that the US went ahead to do so alone does not reduce the fact that there was collaboration.
Reports that the attack happened in a relatively quiet village with no casualty, thereby reducing the impact of the strike to showmanship, Tuggar said those who handled the operations are yet to come out with details of the strike, adding that there is no question that the terrorists of the ISWAP type of bandits of the Lukurawa and Mahmuda type are known to inhabit the location of the strike. Apart from Islamic Scholar, Sheik Gumi who has called for the immediate termination of the cooperation with the US following the strike, the general view is that the collaboration in prosecuting the attack must be properly defined to avoid a miscarriage that may bring collateral damage for Nigeria.
The Rule of Law, Accountability and Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, explained that all the technical, legal and accountability mechanisms that respect the sovereignty of both countries must be put in place.
“In a democratic society, security cooperation cannot rely solely on secrecy or retrospective assurances,” he said, adding that “the Nigerian public is entitled to clarity on the legal framework authorising foreign military involvement in kinetic operations on Nigerian soil; the nature and scope of Nigeria’s consent and control over such operations; the safeguards in place to prevent civilian harm and damage to civilian property; and the accountability mechanisms available should violations occur,” Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwagunma, said.
However, political parties like the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the African Democratic Party, ADC, have knocked the government for its failure to communicate the outcome of the strike with Nigerians before the Americans did.
Ex-Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore expressed worry that, “Africa’s most populous country lacks the capable and sovereign leadership required to protect its people and its territory. However well intentioned, he argued, foreign intervention cannot replace competent leadership, arguing that “only true, tested and informed leadership can protect Nigerians, not imperiled, jaundiced neoconservatives operating from Washington DC.”
However, Professor Femi Otubanjo, a research professor at the Nigeria Institute for International Affairs, NIIA, warns that while the strike was welcome, the narrative must avoid the Christian genocide allegations. He faults the viewpoint that blames the Federal Government for preparing grounds for the Sokoto attack. For him, the Nigerian government rejected the attempt by President Donald Trump to give a religious connotation to insecurity in Nigeria at the beginning.
“People should not blame the Tinubu government because when the US government interpreted insecurity in Nigeria as a religious war the Nigeria government immediately took a stand and denied Trump’s claims,” he said, adding that, “This air strike is not a matter of unilateral attack, even though President Trump in his usual bombastic style had long said that he would attack. In any case, the Nigerian Government has always had bilateral relations with the US.
Remember the Tucano Plans which the Barack Obama Administration embargoed because it was of the opinion that there were too many human right abuses in Nigeria at the time. But the Trump administration sold 12 of these planes to Nigeria. So, the bilateral relations have always been there, even though this Sokoto strike looks like a flamboyant enterprise.”
Arguing that the Nigerian military would benefit from the attack by the US air force, Prof Otunbajo who said that successive governments have always failed to provide the political will, expressed doubts that the US would “put boots on the ground. “
“The air attack is good. We hope this would put a new impetus in the fight against terrorism. We heard terrorists were moving from the Sahel into Nigeria, so the US strike was timely. According to him, the issue of sovereignty does not arise, more so that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had issued a statement that Nigeria was part of the attack, as part of the structured action against terrorists.
“It was not done unilaterally by the US. Terrorism is difficult to fight, if you look at the American fight in the Middle East, Southern America, it is a difficult fight. There is nothing unusual in seeking external support, he maintained. The US attack may have started in an awkward way, but it has turned out that the foreign power cooperated with the Nigerian government to carry out the airstrike.
Professor Otunbanjo disputed any view that the airstrike would impact the politics of 2027. Though he said elections in Nigeria have never been issue based and every Nigerian politician has a way of going around the problem, he warned that the US must stop interpreting insecurity in Nigeria along religious lines.
“If the US is seen as fighting in support of Christians rather, it may be passion. From experience those in power have a way of getting around the problem, but the US government has to be careful, the issue is about killing terrorists killing people and not about Christian-Muslim fighting.”
The Middle Belt Forum hailed the US led attack and urged President Trump to extend the attack to other troubled parts of the country. “We urge that the strike be carried out in all parts of Nigeria and in locations where the terrorists reside, which they already know,” MBF National President, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, said.
The Senator representing Sokoto South at the National Assembly said the attack is a counter-terrorism operation and not against Muslims. This is a collective way in Nigeria against terror and not any particular religion or ethnic group, he maintained and called for maximum support for the security agencies to do their work. He said he was in active talks with relevant security authorities to obtain full details and ensure that all necessary safeguards are upheld.
“It is important to reassure the public that counterterrorism operations are targeted at criminal and terrorist elements who threaten our collective safety, and not at innocent civilians who are themselves victims of insecurity. The protection of civilian lives remains paramount and remains central to all legitimate security operations. I commend the courage and professionalism of our military and security forces, who continue to work tirelessly, often in collaboration with international partners, to confront terrorism and banditry under extremely challenging conditions.”
In his assessment of the strike, Air Commodore Abayomi Balogun, rtd, who disagreed with the view that the airstrike achieved nothing because there was no casualty recorded in the Sokoto strike, maintained the psychological message has been delivered that there was no hiding place for the bandits and terrorists any longer.
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