Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, has strongly criticised the Federal Government of Nigeria over what it described as a failure of national security communication following the disclosure of United States-led terror strikes on Nigerian territory before any official briefing to Nigerians.
In a statement released on Friday, the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ini Ememobong, said the handling of information surrounding the military operation exposed serious leadership and coordination gaps within the Nigerian government’s security architecture.
Okay News reports that the controversy followed reports that details of the United States military airstrikes targeting terrorist enclaves in Sokoto State, located in northwestern Nigeria, were first disclosed to the global public by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, through verified social media platforms late on Thursday night.
Several hours later, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the federal institution responsible for managing the country’s diplomatic relations, issued a brief statement acknowledging the operation and confirming cooperation between both countries.
According to the opposition party, this sequence of events forced Nigerians to rely on foreign sources for information about a sensitive security operation conducted within their own borders.
The statement partly read, “Nigerians were notified of the American strike on terrorists’ assets through the verified social media pages of President Trump and other American officials before the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a vague statement many hours later, offering a passive confirmation of the knowledge and cooperation of the Nigerian Government in the operation.”
The Peoples Democratic Party said it was not opposed to international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, but insisted that Nigeria must retain leadership in communicating matters that directly affect national sovereignty and public safety.
“While international cooperation in the fight against high crimes like terrorism is very much appreciated, the Peoples Democratic Party is deeply concerned about a communication structure where foreign powers break the news of security operations in our country before our government does,” the party stated.
The opposition also raised concerns about past reports suggesting that the United States military had previously carried out operations within Nigeria without the explicit knowledge or approval of Nigerian authorities.
“This inverted communication approach does not help the Federal Government or Nigerians in any way, especially when taken against the background that the United States military has been reported to have previously entered and operated in Nigeria successfully without the permission and knowledge of the government,” the statement added.
The party further urged the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s current head of government, to ensure that any defence agreement with the United States of America prioritises joint operations that strengthen Nigeria’s internal capacity to combat insecurity.
“The Federal Government should have been the first to report the news in order to properly sensitise the Nigerian populace, instead of waiting to confirm news already in public circulation, unless they were taken unawares like the rest of the citizens,” the party said.
It concluded by calling for security collaborations that promote intelligence sharing and experiential learning, rather than operations perceived as being led entirely by foreign forces.
