Sunday, December 28, 2025 -Ali Ndume, a former Senate leader and senator representing Borno South, has called on the federal government to extend ongoing joint military operations with the United States to Nigeria’s North-East, citing the continued threat posed by terrorist groups in the region.
Ndume made the appeal on Saturday, December 27, while
commending recent airstrikes against cells of the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria (ISIS) in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The airstrikes were announced by U.S. President Donald Trump
on his Truth Social platform, where he said the United States Department of War
carried out what he described as “numerous precision strikes.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar,
later confirmed the operation, stating that it was conducted with Nigeria’s
full cooperation, approval and intelligence support. He stressed that the
action did not violate Nigeria’s sovereignty and was not targeted at any
religious group.
Ndume, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Army,
said expanding 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 both
governments to extend it to the North-East, where ISWAP and Boko Haram maintain
three major strongholds—Lake Chad, the Mandara Mountains and the Sambisa
Forest,” he added.
He further advocated deeper military collaboration between
both countries, including enhanced training, intelligence sharing, logistics
support and the deployment of attack helicopters to support Nigerian ground
troops.
Ndume also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for
allocating the highest budgetary provision to defence in the 2026 Appropriation
Bill, while emphasizing the need for accountability and transparency in the use
of the funds.
Reacting to a recent suicide bomb attack at a mosque in
Gamboru, Maiduguri, which killed five people and injured several others, the
senator expressed condolences to the victims and their families.
“The attack in Gamboru is a stark reminder that terrorists
have no regard for religion. In this case, all the victims were Muslims. This
clearly shows that the narrative of a Christian genocide does not exist,” Ndume
said.
“These terrorists are simply making life unbearable for our
people, irrespective of faith.”
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