Nosa Osaikhuiwu, President of the Council of Culture Change and Ethical Transformation, has vehemently opposed calls for direct foreign military intervention in Nigeria’s ongoing security challenges, warning that such moves echo disastrous historical precedents in Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
In an open letter circulating widely on social media, Osaikhuiwu argued that external bombings or large-scale expeditions risk civilian deaths, heightened ethnic tensions, and political fragmentation, insisting instead on a Nigerian-led asymmetric strategy focused on local empowerment and community engagement
.”History demonstrates that interventions by imperial powers frequently produce long-term instability rather than lasting security,” Osaikhuiwu wrote, citing Libya’s post-intervention chaos that empowered extremists, Iraq’s 2003 invasion spawning violent hubs, and the two-decade Afghan campaign’s failure to eradicate the Taliban.
He advocated recruiting auxiliary forces from affected areas, embedding trained officers, and prioritising “hearts and minds” efforts to erode militant support.
“The solution must be Nigerian-led… Sustained local support is essential to denying militants the popular backing that allows them to survive,” he emphasised.
Osaikhuiwu also criticised framing the crisis as targeted against one religious group, calling it polarising and reductive of deeper social-political drivers.
“It is irresponsible to frame this crisis solely as an attack on one religious group… Bringing in foreign forces under the pretext of counterterrorism could inflame ethnic and religious divisions,” he stated, while condemning violence against all communities. As Nigeria grapples with insurgency and banditry, Osaikhuiwu’s stance underscores a growing debate on sovereignty versus international aid, urging tailored domestic solutions over imported military fixes.