KEY POINTS
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Nigerians are demanding that Tinubu strengthen his military campaign in the war on terror.
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U.S. officials have reopened diplomatic talks as tensions over Trump’s remarks ease in the war on terror debate.
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Rights groups blame armed militants for growing insecurity amid the ongoing war on terror.
There are increasing calls for President Bola Tinubu to step up attacks on terrorist bases around Nigeria as military leaders reassure the populace that security is improving and diplomatic tensions with the US start to decrease.
Citizens push for stronger action on Tinubu’s war on terror
Following recent comments by former President Donald Trump that were perceived as a covert military threat, Information Minister Mohammed Idris announced on Wednesday that the Federal Government has begun talks with U.S. officials. He added that Washington “is beginning to better understand the situation” and that diplomatic channels between the two countries are still open and “are proving effective toward rapprochement.”
Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former education minister and senior economic adviser at the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative, denounced the government’s inability to curb the violence during these discussions, calling it a moral and leadership failure. She recounted that prior to some of them becoming radicalized, over 90% of the Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped in 2014 were Christians.
U.S. lawmakers weigh in on Tinubu’s war on terror
Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, supported Trump’s remarks on insecurity in the National Assembly, claiming that the former US president “only stated the truth.” He asserted that recent actions by the Nigerian Air Force point to U.S. intelligence cooperation and that both Christians and Muslims have been the targets of terrorist attacks. “Muslims are the victims in Zamfara, whereas Christians are the majority in Plateau attacks. He declared, “These individuals are jihadists who seek to destroy Nigeria.”
Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, denied that “Christians are killing Christians” in the Southeast, according to the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety). The majority of attacks in the area, according to its chairman Emeka Umeagbalasi, are carried out by Fulani extremists, who currently control roughly 950 woodland areas in 800 towns. He mentioned that around 117 people had been killed in at least 14 church attacks in Enugu State alone.
According to The Guardian, U.S. Congressman Bill Huizenga, however, encouraged Washington to implement targeted sanctions rather than military action and condemned Abuja’s handling of the situation. Huizenga stated that he was “shocked” by Trump’s remarks regarding a possible invasion in a Washington interview with Arise News, but he maintained that it is impossible to overlook religious persecution in Nigeria.
