Security expert Salihu Dantata has described recent United States airstrikes on suspected terrorist targets in northwestern Nigeria as a “step in the right direction,” while warning that inaccurate narratives and lack of precision could undermine public trust and national cohesion.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Saturday, Dantata said international military collaboration against terrorism was necessary, but stressed that initial comments by US President Donald Trump framed the strikes in a damaging way.
“It is a step in the right direction, but the initial lamentations by the US President Donald Trump made a lot of people, particularly in the north, to perceive it in a negative way,” Dantata said.
He rejected claims that the intervention was aimed at protecting Christians, insisting that insecurity in Nigeria affects all communities regardless of religion.
“Donald Trump initially said there was a genocide against Christians in Nigeria, which was far from it, because the same way Muslims are being killed, the same way Christians are being killed,” he said.
Dantata argued that terrorism should never be politicised or viewed through ethnic or religious lenses, adding that any collaboration approved by Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief should be welcomed.
“For any collaboration whatsoever, whether with the United States of America, the UK or Germany, it is a welcome development,” he said. “Terrorism is not to be welcomed by anybody.”
He said the real issue confronting the country was national survival, not politics.
“At this point in time, it is not an issue of politics, it is not an issue of ethnic group, it is not an issue of religion. It is an issue of patriotism and national security,” Dantata said.
Highlighting the broader impact of insecurity, he noted that economic activities across northern Nigeria had been crippled.
“Today, people are no longer moving freely to trade because of insecurity. This insecurity has made economic activities in the entire North minimal,” he said.
Responding to concerns that Sokoto State should not have been targeted, Dantata said intelligence reports were not always available to the public and insisted that terrorist activity had occurred in the area.
“No one would say Sokoto has not been having its share. Where did they kill the king of Gobir in Sabon Birni? Where was a second-class emir kidnapped and killed in the forests?” he asked.
He cited multiple operations involving the Lakurawa group, linking them to kidnappings and attacks across Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Kwara states.
“Most of the school kidnappings you saw in Niger and Kebbi were carried out by Lakurawa,” Dantata said, adding that the group entered Nigeria through porous borders from the Sahel.
On concerns about civilian casualties, he acknowledged past misfires but insisted national security must take precedence.
“National security exceeds mediocrity, politicisation and self-centred interests,” he said, noting that no civilian deaths were recorded in the reported incidents.
Dantata also criticised Nigeria’s handling of public communication on the strikes, describing it as embarrassing that Nigerians first heard about the operation through a foreign leader’s social media post.
“In the first place, it was supposed to be either the Ministry of Defence or the Office of the National Security Adviser to speak on it. We are talking about security, not diplomacy,” he said.
He argued that the Nigerian military already has the capacity to defeat terrorist groups if properly supported.
“You cannot take away the combat and intelligence skills of our armed forces. What they lack is the enabling environment,” Dantata said.
Calling for a broader strategy, he urged the government to focus on dismantling terrorist financing networks.
“You can kill any number of terrorists in the bush, but if they still have access to funding and resources, it will continue. If you want to stop the car, remove the fuel,” he said.
On calls for Nigeria to seek military partnerships with China, Turkey or Pakistan instead, Dantata said Nigeria had long-standing defence ties with the United States and should remain open to all forms of cooperation.
“Let us try anything we can do to curb insecurity. It is affecting farmers, traders, and everybody,” he said.
He concluded by stressing that insecurity was a shared national problem requiring unity and decisive action.
“It is affecting everyone. That is why we must all come together to end it,” Dantata said.
Boluwatife Enome
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