One Strike Cannot Address Nigeria’s Security Challenges – Ex-US Army Captain
A retired United States Army Captain, Bish Johnson, has said Nigeria’s security crisis cannot be solved by a single military strike.
Johnson said the country faces a multifaceted insecurity problem that needs an all-around approach.
He spoke during an interview on ARISE News on Friday night, reacting to recent United States airstrikes against terrorists in north-western Nigeria.
OSUN and reports that US President Donald Trump, on December 25, announced that American forces carried out deadly strikes against Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria, vowing further action if the group continued attacks on Christians.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later confirmed the operation, saying it targeted terrorist elements through collaboration with the United States as part of “structured security cooperation with international partners, including the United States of America,” aimed at tackling terrorism and violent extremism.
However, Johnson cautioned that Nigeria’s insecurity goes beyond terrorism alone.
“If we don’t diagnose our problem correctly, we are going to come up with the wrong solution.
“Inasmuch as there is an element of terrorism in the North-West, the problem is much more complicated than it is being simplified.”
He pointed to herder-farmer clashes in the Middle Belt, which he said have claimed thousands of lives and remain unresolved.
“Nobody has talked about the issue of herder-farmer clashes, which have claimed so many lives in the Middle Belt, and it is still ongoing.
“So Nigeria has a multifaceted insecurity problem that this one strike cannot address. There’s also the issue of Sharia law in northern Nigeria.”
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
