Former senator Shehu Sani has described the reported military airstrikes on terrorist targets in North West Nigeria as a “conscionable action”, while cautioning that the country must not depend indefinitely on foreign powers for its security.
Sani made the remarks in a statement shared on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, reacting to comments by United States President Donald Trump, who announced that US forces had carried out what he described as deadly strikes against Islamic State-linked militants operating in north-western Nigeria.
Writing on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump said the operation was ordered under his authority as Commander-in-Chief and targeted militants responsible for killing civilians, “primarily, innocent Christians”. He warned that further action would follow if such violence continued.
In a separate social media post, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation was carried out with Nigeria’s cooperation. “Grateful for Nigerian government support & cooperation,” Hegseth wrote, adding that the US Department of War was “always ready”.
Responding to these statements, Sani said that if the airstrikes were indeed conducted jointly with Nigerian authorities, as suggested by posts attributed to US Africa Command (AFRICOM), then the action was justified.
“If actually, the military strikes against the terrorists’ targets in the North Western part of Nigeria were a joint operation with the ‘Nigerian Authorities’ as posted by the US AFRICOM on their verified X handle, then it’s a conscionable action,” he said.
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The former lawmaker, who represented Kaduna Central in the Senate, described terrorist groups operating in parts of the country as a serious threat to national stability. He likened them to “cancerous cells”, stressing that their continued existence posed dangers to communities and the state alike. “Terrorists have become cancerous cells in our part of the country. They live by the sword,” Sani said.
He also rejected claims that terrorist violence in Nigeria targets only one religious group, describing such narratives as false and misleading. According to him, communities across religious and ethnic lines have suffered from attacks by extremist groups.
“The narrative that the evil terrorists only target one faith remains absolutely false and misleading,” he stated.
Despite welcoming international support, Sani warned against over-reliance on foreign military intervention. He argued that sustainable peace and security must ultimately be driven by Nigerians themselves.
“The ultimate security and peace in our country lies with ourselves and not with the US or any foreign power,” he said. “They can complementarily or unilaterally strike, but they can’t eternally fight our battles.”
His comments come amid confirmation by Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the country is engaged in structured security cooperation with the United States and other international partners. The ministry said the collaboration involves intelligence sharing and strategic coordination to counter terrorism and violent extremism.
Similarly, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said the airstrikes demonstrated the Federal Government’s resolve, alongside strategic partners, to confront transnational terrorism and prevent foreign fighters from establishing a foothold in Nigeria.
The strikes followed recent security incidents, including a deadly bombing at a mosque in Maiduguri, Borno State, underscoring the wider challenge of terrorism affecting communities across religious divides.
