The Federal Government has confirmed ongoing security and intelligence cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, following airstrikes that hit terrorist targets in the country’s North West region.
The government in a statement issued on Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, explained that the collaboration involves intelligence sharing, strategic coordination and other forms of support, in line with international law, respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and shared security commitments.
“Nigeria reiterates that all counter-terrorism efforts are guided by the primacy of protecting civilian lives, safeguarding national unity, and upholding the rights and dignity of all citizens, irrespective of faith or ethnicity,”
It added that terrorist violence, “whether directed at Christians, Muslims, or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security” the statement said.
This followed the earlier comments by United States President, Donald Trump, stating that the American forces had carried out deadly strikes against Islamic State terrorists in Northwestern Nigeria, warning that further attacks would follow if the killing of Christians continued.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government said it would continue to work with its partners through established diplomatic and security channels, in order to weaken terrorist networks, disrupt their financing and logistics, and prevent cross-border threats.
The airstrikes came a day after a bomb attack on a mosque in Maiduguri, Borno State, killed five people and injured dozens in what authorities suspect was a suicide bombing.
Responding, popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has criticised the US’ recent airstrikes on terrorist camps in north-western Nigeria, describing them as potentially polarising and detrimental to national sovereignty.
Gumi in a Facebook post on Friday, argued that eradicating terrorists is an Islamic obligation, citing the Prophet Muhammad’s wish to destroy such groups, stressing that such action should be done in a clean manner rather than foreign powers whose past, he claimed, includes killing innocent civilians.
He however urged the Federal Government to stop any military cooperation with the US and instead seek assistance from other countries such as China, Turkey, and Pakistan, adding that dropping bombs cannot tackle terrorism effectively in Nigeria.
He said; “As a principle, no nation should allow its land to be a theater of war. And no nation should allow its neighbors to be their enemies. If Nigeria wants military assistance, China, Turkey, and Pakistan can do the job effectively.
“Nigeria should halt all military cooperation with the USA immediately because of its imperial tendencies worldwide and seek the help of those neutral countries mentioned. Nigerians are too educated to be played with. This is going to be a 2027 campaign discourse.”
The cleric also described the airstrikes on Sokoto, a largely Muslim area, as a religious war against Islam and criticised the focus on regions with minimal immediate terrorist threats.