Governors of Nigeria’s South-West states, as well as those of Kogi and Kwara, have been urged to prepare for the potential repercussions of a proposed United States military strike on terrorist hideouts in the country.
The warning came from the Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM) in a statement released on Friday, signed by its General Secretary, Poloola Ajayi, and Publicity Secretary, Suleiman Sanusi.
The alert follows comments made last week by former US President Donald Trump, who claimed that Christianity in Nigeria faced an “existential threat” from radical Islamist groups. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump vowed that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” adding that his administration would be “ready, willing and able to protect our great Christian population around the world.”
He also urged members of Congress, including Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, to investigate the situation and report back to him.
Responding to these remarks, the AYDM warned that any US strike could dislodge terrorists from northern strongholds, potentially driving them southwards into Yoruba territories. The group criticised those invoking Nigeria’s sovereignty in opposition to the proposal, arguing that successive governments had “long undermined that sovereignty through corruption, electoral malpractice and complicity in terrorism.”
“It is obvious that Nigeria has no power to stop the proposed US strike. What is wise is for the government at both state and national levels to prepare for the consequences and manage the situation in a way that preserves the dignity of the Yoruba nation,” the statement read.
The group acknowledged that while Christians had suffered mass killings, many Yoruba and Middle Belt Muslims were also victims of extremist violence. It warned that “there is an open agenda to Islamise Nigeria” and urged Yoruba leaders to craft their own response strategy to the “almost imminent strike.”
AYDM called on South-West governors to work closely with self-determination groups in intelligence gathering, data collection and community defence. It also proposed creating an Intelligence Gathering Bureau across the region to counter terrorism and extremist propaganda, while supporting US sanctions against individuals and states accused of aiding terrorism.
