By Joe Udo
ABUJA (CONVERSEER) – Former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, has accused the Federal Government of lacking prior knowledge of the United States airstrikes carried out in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day.
His position followed President Donald Trump’s Christmas Day announcement via his Truth Social platform, where he confirmed that U.S. forces executed airstrikes targeting ISIS-linked terrorists operating within Nigeria.
Shortly after the announcement, the Nigerian Government confirmed the strikes. In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and circulated by the Presidency, the administration described the offensive as part of ongoing security cooperation between both countries, adding that Nigeria had participated through an intelligence-sharing arrangement with U.S. authorities.
Sowore, in a Facebook post, however, dismissed the Federal Government’s explanation and questioned its legitimacy and capability to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity. He alleged that the operation was conducted without the informed consent of Nigeria’s leadership and insisted that national sovereignty had been undermined.
“Although the Nigerian government now claims it was aware and describes the operation as a joint effort with vague ‘international partners,’ it is evident that the strikes were carried out without the genuine authority or informed consent of the weaklings masquerading as government,” he wrote.
He described the attack, reportedly hitting a village in Sokoto State, as a development that raises serious concerns about civilian security and Nigeria’s self-defence capacity. He added that the situation illustrates Nigeria’s helpless position despite its size and population.
Sowore insisted that Nigeria’s security crisis will not be resolved by foreign military intervention, arguing that sustainable solutions require accountable and effective leadership within the country.
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Similarly, human rights lawyer, Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo, faulted foreign involvement in Nigeria’s security operations. In a message shared on his X account, he warned that military partnerships would not address what he termed a “governance failure” at the core of Nigeria’s insecurity.
He stated that insecurity persists due to alleged state reluctance to arrest, prosecute, or expose individuals accused of financing or enabling terrorism. According to him, consistent reports and media investigations pointing to elite complicity have gone unaddressed.
“A state that prevents its citizens from defending themselves while refusing to prosecute known sponsors of terror has abdicated its constitutional responsibility,” Omirhobo said.
He further warned that foreign military strikes risk reframing the crisis as a religious war between Christians and Muslims, a narrative he stressed is misleading and dangerous.
“Nigeria’s problem is not Christianity versus Islam. It is impunity versus justice,” he said, calling instead for law enforcement, justice, and prosecution of terror sponsors regardless of status.
Both Sowore and Omirhobo concluded that without accountability, intelligence cooperation and foreign airstrikes would offer only a temporary illusion of security.
