A former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has urged the Federal Government to extend its joint military operations with the United States against terrorist hideouts to the North-East, citing the continued presence of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province in the region.
Ndume made the appeal on Saturday in a statement in which he commended the recent military airstrikes carried out against ISWAP cells in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army said expanding the scope of the joint military operations to the North-East would significantly weaken insurgent groups operating in the region, particularly ISWAP and Boko Haram.
He said, “We welcome this cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in targeting terrorists’ hideouts. I am calling on them to extend it to the North-East, where ISWAP and Boko Haram have their three known black spots: Lake Chad, Mandara Mountain, and Sambisa, which are exclusive strongholds of ISWAP and Boko Haram.
“I also want to suggest that the military cooperation with the United States should extend to ground troops in training, intelligence, and logistics. They should also back it up with attack helicopter support for ground troops.”
The former Senate Chief Whip commended President Bola Tinubu for allocating what he described as the highest budgetary provision to the defence sector in the proposed 2026 budget, but stressed the need for accountability and transparency in the utilisation of the funds.
Reacting to the recent suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Gamboru, Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, which reportedly claimed five lives and left many others injured, the lawmaker expressed sympathy for the victims and their families.
“I also sympathise with the bomb blast victims in Borno State, where many people were killed and injured. The incident in the mosque in Gamboru is a clear indication that the terrorists don’t care about religion.
“In this instance, on the eve of Christmas, all the victims were Muslims. So, the narrative of Christian genocide doesn’t exist. The terrorists making life unbearable for our people are blind to religion,” he stated.
Ndume’s remarks come amid renewed international attention on Nigeria’s security challenges following confirmation by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, that American forces carried out an airstrike targeting suspected terrorist elements in Nigeria.
US officials said the operation was conducted based on shared intelligence and in coordination with the Nigerian government as part of ongoing efforts to degrade extremist groups operating in the country.
Nigeria has grappled with multiple security crises for over a decade, including a protracted insurgency by Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North-East, as well as widespread banditry in the North-West, leading to thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions.
Although the United States has consistently supported Nigeria through intelligence sharing, training, and military assistance, direct US airstrikes on Nigerian territory are rare and often attract public scrutiny.
However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed that Nigeria provided the intelligence that led to the US strike and formally approved the operation before it was executed.
Tuggar disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television, a day after the United States confirmed the strike, noting that the operation was part of sustained security cooperation between both countries and was not motivated by religious considerations.
