A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Segun Sowunmi, has criticised what he described as the late intervention of the international community in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
Sowunmi speaking in an interview while reacting to recent United States airstrikes on militant groups in north-western Nigeria.
According to him, global powers with advanced security and surveillance capabilities ought to have acted much earlier.
“I felt the world came in a little too late. The security resources available globally suggest that there have been eyes in the sky for a long time, and many countries have the capacity,” he said.
He noted that while countries such as Britain and China remained silent, the United States eventually intervened when the situation worsened.
“You have to thank the United States that when the chips were really down, Britain, which ordinarily should have a bigger interest, did not say anything.
“China, which has also been active here with various projects, said nothing. America spoke up, and Donald Trump said, ‘This is getting too much; we are going to do something,’” Sowunmi added.
Describing the situation as painful for Nigerians, he likened the killing of terrorists to watching wayward children being lost.
Sowunmi also commended the United States for working with Nigerian security agencies, warning that unilateral military action without consultation would have raised serious concerns.
“Thankfully, he did not just come into the country without our security infrastructure. If missiles had been fired from the Gulf of Guinea without consulting the Nigerian government, it would have raised serious questions about our deterrent capacity,” he said.
He stressed that the development was not one to celebrate, urging Nigerians across religious divides to see terrorism as a national tragedy.
Sowunmi further advised that Nigeria would be better served by addressing terrorism as criminality rather than framing it along ethnic or religious lines.
Politics Nigeria earlier reported that on Christmas Day, United States President Donald Trump announced that American forces had carried out strikes against Islamic State militants in north-western Nigeria, warning of further action if attacks persisted.
Trump justified the strikes as a response to what he described as genocide against Christians in Nigeria, claiming the violence had reached alarming levels.