Tuesday, January 6, 2026 - The United World Congress of Diplomats, in collaboration with the International Institute of Experts on Political Economy and Administration , on Monday commended President Bola Tinubu for Nigeria’s growing military cooperation with the United States, particularly recent air operations against terrorist groups.
The diplomats gave the commendation at a press conference in
Abuja while presenting an Assessment Report on the Ongoing War Against
Terrorism in Nigeria.
Unveiling the report, the UN-WCD Secretary-General, Prof.
Tunji Asaolu, lauded the expanding partnership between the Nigerian military
and the United States, describing recent joint operations as precise,
disciplined and effective.
According to him, the assessment revealed that despite
the scale of recent military engagements, no civilian casualties were recorded,
a development he said underscored professionalism and strict adherence to
international rules of engagement.
“We commend the United States military and the Nigerian
Ministry of Defence for the progress recorded so far in degrading terrorist
networks,” Asaolu said, adding that the collaboration has weakened insurgent
strongholds across several regions.
However, he warned that continued attacks across parts of
the country show that terrorism has not been completely eradicated.
Asaolu cited the recent bandit attack at Kasuwan-Daji in
Niger State, where over 40 people were killed, as evidence that Nigeria’s
security architecture still requires urgent recalibration.
He said the incident reinforced the need for a “surgical
cleansing” of the defence system, particularly of officials whose continued
presence in sensitive positions raises public suspicion or operational
concerns.
While cautioning against destabilising scenarios similar to
the recent Venezuela crisis—where a sitting president was arrested during a
full-scale military operation allegedly involving the United States—Asaolu
stressed that President Tinubu has demonstrated uncommon political will in
addressing insecurity.
“Our findings show clearly that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
has gone beyond expectations in confronting terrorism. What remains is to
remove internal bottlenecks that could undermine his efforts,” he said.
“The war against terrorism cannot be fought with credibility
gaps at the top,” Asaolu added. “Allowing officials facing serious allegations
to remain in sensitive positions risks sabotaging public trust and operational
effectiveness.”
Asaolu’s remarks come amid renewed public attention on
Nigeria’s security challenges following confirmation by the President of the
United States, Donald Trump, that American forces carried out an airstrike
targeting suspected terrorist elements in Nigeria.
US officials said the operation was conducted based on
shared intelligence and in coordination with the Nigerian government as part of
ongoing efforts to degrade extremist groups operating in the country.
Nigeria has grappled with multiple security crises for more
than a decade, including a protracted insurgency by Boko Haram and the Islamic
State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the North-East, alongside widespread
banditry in the North-West.
The conflicts have claimed thousands of lives and displaced
millions.
Although the United States has consistently supported
Nigeria through intelligence sharing, training and military assistance, direct
US airstrikes on Nigerian territory are rare and often attract public scrutiny.
However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar,
confirmed that Nigeria provided the intelligence that led to the US strike and
formally approved the operation before it was executed.
Tuggar disclosed this in an interview on Channels
Television, a day after the United States confirmed the strike, noting that the
operation was part of sustained security cooperation between both countries and
was not motivated by religious considerations.
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