Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), has cautioned the United States against any military intervention in Nigeria, describing claims of an ongoing “Christian genocide” as a dangerous misrepresentation of the country’s realities.
Buratai, who served as Nigeria’s Army Chief during intense counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups, issued the warning in an opinion article published on Sunday, titled “Mutual Security, Shared Prosperity: A Strategic Path Beyond the U.S.–Nigeria Stalemate.”
His remarks followed reports that Washington was considering a military operation in Nigeria in response to alleged religious persecution.
Buratai warned that such a move would be a grave strategic error, saying, “The current confrontation between the United States and Nigeria, ignited by the spectre of foreign military intervention, represents a perilous crossroads. While it presents the danger of catastrophic miscalculation, it also offers the potential for a more resilient and mutually advantageous alliance.”
He dismissed the notion of a Christian genocide as “a dangerously reductive distortion of Nigeria’s intricate realities,” adding that any military action by the U.S. would undermine long-term diplomatic and security cooperation between both nations.
“For the United States, acting on this fallacy would be a profound strategic blunder; for Nigeria, it constitutes an existential menace,” Buratai wrote.
He cautioned that coercive tactics would “weaken, not strengthen, American credibility,” portraying Washington as a neo-colonial power rather than a trusted partner. “Public ultimatums and intimidation directed at a sovereign nation of Nigeria’s stature, Africa’s largest economy and most populous democracy, actively propel a nation of over 200 million people, and potentially the entire ECOWAS, deeper into the strategic embrace of rivals like China and Russia,” he added.