By Lateef Odegbenle
ABUJA — The Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) has condemned the recent United States military strike on alleged ISIL targets in Sokoto State, expressing deep concern over what it described as troubling implications for Nigeria’s sovereignty, transparency, and national dignity.
While unequivocally decrying terrorism in all its forms and reaffirming the collective desire of Nigerians to see the complete eradication of violent extremist groups across the country, MPAC said it views the reported strike with “deep concern and sober reservations.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, MPAC Executive Director, Disu Kamor, said Nigerians desire “security, not symbolism; sovereignty, not subordination,” stressing that the most troubling aspect of the development was not merely the strike itself, but the manner in which it was disclosed.
“Nigerians did not first hear from their own government about a sensitive military operation carried out on their soil,” Kamor said. “Instead, the news came from Washington — crafted in a language designed to reassure an American domestic audience, not to respect Nigerian citizens or institutions.”
According to him, this was not a minor diplomatic lapse but a deeply symbolic and politically costly failure.
“When foreign capitals announce military actions within Nigeria before Abuja does, it raises fundamental questions about transparency, authority, and national dignity,” the statement said. “Any government that truly commands its security architecture does not outsource public accountability to foreign press briefings.”
As Nigerians await fuller and clearer explanations from their government on the matter, MPAC reminded the authorities that cooperation with foreign partners does not equate to surrendering control over national security.
“Cooperation and partnership do not mean surrendering the sword while merely holding the scabbard,” the group said. “Intelligence sharing is not the same as operational dependency.
Strategic alliances must never degenerate into strategic helplessness.”
MPAC noted that while the Federal Government has indicated that Nigerian intelligence contributed to the operation and that the United States provided the capability to execute a precision strike, such an explanation raises uncomfortable contradictions.
“The same Nigerian state that has demonstrated the capacity to project military force beyond its borders — including decisive intervention in political crises in the Republic of Benin — cannot credibly argue incapacity when it comes to enforcing peace within Sokoto, a sovereign part of its own territory,” the statement said.
The group also recalled the devastating consequences of U.S. military interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, often justified as precision attacks carried out in coordination with local governments, but which resulted in thousands of civilian casualties.
“These memories are further compounded by previous inflammatory rhetoric from U.S. leadership, including threats of a ‘fast, vicious and sweet’ intervention in Nigeria under the guise of protecting Christians,” MPAC said.
It added that the majority of Nigerians killed by terrorism have been Muslims, warning that it was unacceptable for Nigeria to become “a playground for the adventure of a U.S. President who has demonstrated disdain for Muslims and has openly framed his mission as defending Christianity and Christians — a narrative that is toxic, divisive, and dangerous.”
MPAC stressed that security remains the primary and non-negotiable responsibility of any government and cannot be subcontracted.
“When a state begins to rely on foreign jets to enforce peace within its borders, it sends a perilous message — that it no longer fully trusts its own strength, institutions, or armed forces,” the statement said.
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The organisation therefore called on the Federal Government to urgently clarify the legal, operational, and diplomatic framework under which the strike occurred; reassure Nigerians that national sovereignty remains intact; and recommit itself to building a security architecture that is Nigerian-led, Nigerian-controlled, and Nigerian-accountable.
“Nigeria does not need performative security,” MPAC said. “Nigeria needs principled leadership, transparent governance, and the courage to defend all its people and its sovereignty — without apology.”
