Former United States Army officer, Captain Bish Johnson, has warned that Nigeria’s insecurity crisis is far deeper and more complex than a single foreign military strike, stressing that terrorism in the country cannot be reduced to a religious narrative or solved through isolated interventions.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Friday, Johnson said Nigeria’s security challenges span terrorism, farmer–herder conflicts, weak law enforcement and governance failures, arguing that misdiagnosing the crisis would only produce ineffective solutions.
“If we don’t diagnose our problems right, we’re going to come up with wrong solutions,” Johnson said. “Inasmuch as terrorism in the North-West is part of the problem, Nigeria’s insecurity is far more complicated than the way it is being simplified.”
He cautioned against framing the crisis purely as an issue of religious persecution, noting that violence in Nigeria affects people across faiths and regions.
“Nobody has talked about the herders–farmers clashes that have claimed so many lives in the Middle Belt,” he said. “Nigeria has a multi-faceted insecurity problem that this one strike cannot address.”
Johnson referenced the killing of Deborah Samuel Yakubu in Sokoto State, saying unresolved cases of religious violence weaken Nigeria’s credibility internationally.
“Until now, none of those responsible for the death of that innocent young lady has been brought to book,” he said. “That makes it much more difficult to convince Americans that this is not religious persecution.”
While acknowledging that terrorism must be confronted decisively, Johnson insisted that every Nigerian life must matter, regardless of religion or ethnicity.
“Every killing, every life is very important — especially Nigerian lives, because all of us are linked to one another,” he said.
He criticised what he described as poor strategic communication by Nigerian authorities following the US strike, warning that allowing Washington to shape the narrative undermines national sovereignty.
“We shouldn’t allow the Americans to control the narrative,” Johnson said. “This happened on Nigerian soil, and Nigerians deserve to hear clearly what happened, who was targeted, and whether there was collateral damage.”
Johnson questioned the depth of Nigeria’s involvement in the operation and called for transparency on the scope of collaboration.
“If you collaborate with the Americans, we want to know whether terrorists were actually hit or whether civilians were affected,” he said. “Nigerian lives matter.”
He revealed that the United States does not rely solely on host-nation intelligence when conducting strikes.
“I got information from sources that even in this collaboration, the Americans had their own assets on the ground to cross-check intelligence,” Johnson said. “That is typical American operational procedure — they don’t always rely on what the host government tells them.”
Johnson urged Nigerians not to overreact to statements made by US President Donald Trump, describing them as politically motivated.
“Donald Trump has a base he needs to satisfy,” he said. “His statements are less about professionalism and more about politics. I would rather listen to AFRICOM, the US Department of Defense, and Nigeria’s Ministry of Defense.”
He stressed that US-Nigeria military cooperation was not new, describing it as decades-long.
“Collaboration between the US and Nigeria is not new,” Johnson said. “What is new is that this operation came after Trump’s statements.”
On Nigeria’s broader security struggles, Johnson said fighting terrorism differs fundamentally from conventional warfare.
“When you’re fighting non-state actors, they can be in the bush today and blend into communities tomorrow,” he said. “They don’t write ‘terrorist’ on their foreheads.”
Citing global research, Johnson said terrorism is not defeated quickly.
“Studies show it takes an average of 20 years to dismantle terrorism,” he said. “Even the United States is still dealing with ISIS in parts of the Middle East.”
While acknowledging failures by past Nigerian administrations, Johnson said the current government inherited a deeply entrenched crisis.
“You cannot place the entire blame on an administration that has been in office for just over two years,” he said. “This problem has been festering for over 15 years.”
Johnson concluded by warning that while foreign assistance may help, Nigeria must ultimately take ownership of its security challenges.
“This is the enemy within,” he said. “Foreign strikes alone will not solve it. Nigeria must fix the underlying problems if peace is to be restored.”
Boluwatife Enome
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