Prominent Nigerians Condemn US Military Presence In Nigeria
Some prominent Nigerians have condemned the presence of United States soldiers in Nigeria, calling it a violation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and a dangerous precedent for foreign interference.
Last week, United States military aircraft started landing in Nigeria, days after American and Nigerian officials told the media that about 200 US soldiers would be deployed to Nigeria in advisory and training roles.
According to US officials, the steady flow of aircraft is expected to continue over the next several weeks as part of a temporary mission supporting targeted counterterrorism efforts.
But Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ) insisted that the US personnel are technical specialists serving strictly in an advisory and training capacity—not combat troops—and that all activities will be conducted under the authority, direction, and control of the Nigerian government in close coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
In a joint statement titled “No to Foreign Forces in Our Land: Defend Our Sovereignty”, the group said the presence of US soldiers in Nigeria raises serious constitutional and sovereignty concerns.
The statement was jointly signed by Femi Falana (SAN), Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, Dr Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, Dr Dauda Garuba, Prof Massaud Omar, Prof Mohammed Kuna, Engr YZ Ya’u, and Dr Usman Bugaje.
They recalled Nigeria’s historical resistance to foreign military domination and warned against what they described as a creeping neo-colonial arrangement.
“Nigeria’s history is replete with principled resistance to foreign military domination. At critical moments, our leaders—civilian and military alike—have asserted our sovereignty and rejected external interference. That legacy must not be abandoned,” the statement said.
They recalled the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact of 1960, which was abolished in 1962 following widespread public opposition. “Political independence without military sovereignty is incomplete,” the statement noted, stressing that Nigerians had always resisted external interference in military affairs.
The group also cited Nigeria’s role in rejecting American pressure during the 1976 Organisation of African Unity (OAU) summit on Angola.
At the time, General Murtala Mohammed famously declared that “Africa has come of age and would no longer operate under the orbit of any extra-continental power. His words were not mere rhetoric but a declaration of continental dignity and sovereign equality.”
