Donald Trump Speaks on US Military Operation in Nigeria
- President Donald Trump has disclosed coordinated Christmas Day air strikes in Nigeria targeting ISIS terrorists
- The US and Nigerian governments recently collaborated on military operations amidst sovereignty concerns
- Recall Senator Abdul Ningi criticised the US-Nigeria joint military operation as a violation of national sovereignty
President Donald Trump of the United States has disclosed that the air strikes in Sokoto on Christmas Day in Nigeria were coordinated by the American government, targeting the ISIS terrorists in collaboration with the Nigerian government.
The US president made the comment while addressing guests on Thursday, February 5, at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. Trump further explained that the strikes were ordered to “decimate the ISIS terrorists who have been slaughtering Christians in that country by the thousands.”
Source: Twitter
President Trump said he ordered the strike on Christmas Day. His statement reads in part:
“We hit them so hard they still don’t know what the hell happened. And we were going to do it on a different day. I said no, do it on Christmas. So they understand it.”
See the video of Trump's statement on YouTube here:
Defence Headquarters speaks on US soldiers
This came as the Defence Headquarters has said that the security partnership between Nigeria and the United States was based on capacity building, strategic dialogue, professional military education, logistic support and intelligence sharing with the objective of addressing the security concerns in the country, including terrorism.
This came after several reports claimed that the United States troops had been deployed to the West African country.
On Tuesday, February 3, General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, the head of US Africa Command, said he had been able to meet President Bola Tinubu, and they agreed to work with Nigeria. He added that one of the agreements was that a small US team would bring unique capabilities from the United States to complement Nigeria's efforts on security.
It was later reported that Gen. Christopher Musa (retd), the Nigerian Minister of Defence, confirmed the arrival of the US team in Nigeria.
Reacting to the report on Thursday, February 5, Major General Samaila Uba, the Director of Defence Information, explained that Nigeria's sovereignty is protected in all the engagements conducted with the United States and that they were all under the existing bilateral frameworks.
Ningi criticises the Nigeria-US military alliance
Recall that the joint military operation between Nigeria and the US was recently criticised by Abdul Ningi, the senator representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District. Senator Ningi, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), explained that the military operation was a violation of the territorial sovereignty of Nigeria and a United Nations Charter breach.
The senator made the comment while speaking at the plenary through the motion of personal explanation on Wednesday, January 28, which usually happens before the commencement of the legislative activities.
According to the senator, such a military operation should not have been conducted without the National Assembly's approval and in conjunction with the local security agencies.
Source: Twitter
Gunmen in military uniform invade Kwara community
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that tragedy struck on Monday night in Ilesha Baruba, Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, as suspected terrorists dressed in military camouflage stormed the community, killing six people in a brazen attack that has sent shockwaves across the area.
Legit.ng gathered from multiple community sources that the attack occurred around 9:00 pm at the main garage of the town, near the residence of a prominent elder, Alhaji Jubril.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
