Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has appealed to the Federal Government to extend its joint military operations with the United States against terrorist hideouts to Nigeria’s North-East region.
Ndume made the call on Saturday while commending the precision airstrikes carried out on Friday against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) cells in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The strikes were first disclosed by United States President, Donald Trump, via his Truth Social platform, where he revealed that the US Department of War had executed several precise attacks on terrorist enclaves.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, later confirmed the development, explaining that the US military action was carried out with Nigeria’s full cooperation, approval and intelligence support. He stressed that the operation did not violate Nigeria’s sovereignty and was not targeted at any religious group.
Prior to the operation, reports had emerged that US intelligence-gathering flights had been conducted over large parts of Nigeria since late November.
Reacting to the development, Ndume, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, said extending the joint operations to the North-East would significantly weaken the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram.
“We welcome this cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in targeting terrorist hideouts,” Ndume said.
“I am calling on them to extend it to the North-East, where ISWAP and Boko Haram have three known black spots: Lake Chad, the Mandara Mountains and Sambisa Forest, which are exclusive strongholds of these terrorist groups.”
He further suggested that the partnership should go beyond airstrikes to include ground troop training, intelligence sharing, logistics support and attack helicopter assistance for Nigerian forces.
Ndume also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allocating the highest-ever budgetary provision to defence in the proposed 2026 budget, while calling for accountability and transparency in the utilisation of the funds.
Commenting on the recent suicide bomb attack at a mosque in Gamboru, Maiduguri, Borno State, which claimed five lives and left several others injured, Ndume expressed condolences to the victims and their families.
“The incident at the mosque in Gamboru is a clear indication that terrorists do not care about religion,” he said. “On the eve of Christmas, all the victims were Muslims. This shows that the narrative of Christian genocide does not exist. The terrorists making life unbearable for our people are blind to religion.”
He urged sustained military action and improved security measures to protect lives and restore lasting peace in the affected regions
