A former presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, has expressed concern over a recent United States military airstrike in Nigeria, warning that the operation undermined Nigeria’s sovereignty and the principle of joint counterterrorism collaboration.
Garba, in a statement posted on X on Sunday, said that although he has long advocated US support for Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts, the Christmas Day airstrike contradicted expectations that such cooperation would be led by the Nigerian military.
He said collaboration with the US was premised on Nigeria taking the lead, with American forces providing support, adding that the reported launch of a Tomahawk missile without visible Nigerian military coordination was troubling.
“What we witnessed is like the US unilaterally launched the missile, reducing Nigeria’s very capable military to a fire brigade expected to handle only the aftermath of the attack,” Garba said.
He criticised the apparent absence of Nigerian military personnel at the base during the operation and questioned why debris from the missile reportedly remained at the site 48 hours after the strike without Nigerian oversight. He also faulted what he described as a lack of clear public communication from the Nigerian military on the nature of the joint operation.
Garba warned that allowing the US to take the lead in such strikes could endanger Nigerian civilians, arguing that uncoordinated foreign-led bombing campaigns often worsen terrorism rather than contain it.
Drawing parallels with prolonged US military actions in Somalia, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Libya, he said such interventions had failed to eliminate terrorism and, in some cases, intensified insurgent activities.
He further cautioned that terrorist groups operating in the Sahel, including ISWAP, ISGS, Boko Haram, JNIM and Lakurawa, could potentially unite in response to increased US involvement on Nigerian soil.
Garba called on the Federal Government to establish a formal operational framework for joint counterterrorism efforts, to be approved by the National Assembly, gazetted and implemented by Nigerian security agencies.
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He stressed that Nigeria must retain leadership of all security operations within its territory, urging the US to take a supporting role or disengage entirely from Nigerian land, air and maritime spaces.
Garba’s comments followed a Christmas airstrike authorised and announced by US President Donald Trump, reportedly in response to alleged threats against Christians in Nigeria. The strike, carried out by a US Navy warship in the Gulf of Guinea, targeted two Islamic State camps in Sokoto State.
Reports of missile debris scattered across farmlands have fuelled public scepticism about the level of Nigerian military involvement, despite Federal Government claims that the operation was based on shared intelligence and collaboration.