The Special Adviser on Policy Communication to President Bola Tinubu, Daniel Bwala, has said it would be diplomatically unacceptable for the United States to carry out any military operation in Nigeria without the country’s consent.
Bwala stated this in an interview with the BBC World Service on Monday, stressing that Nigeria remains a sovereign nation whose internal security issues must be handled collaboratively and with respect for territorial integrity.
His remarks followed US President Donald Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged persecution of Christians.
Trump had also threatened to deploy America’s Department of War against terrorist groups he claimed were targeting Christians in the country.
“If it’s a joint operation with Nigeria, that’s acceptable,” Bwala said.
“But diplomatically, it is wrong to invade a sovereign nation without collaboration—especially one that remains a strategic partner in the fight against insecurity.”
Bwala explained that unilateral intervention by a foreign government can only be justified in cases where there is credible evidence of complicity by a national government in crimes or crises.
“Unilateral intervention only happens when there is evidence that a government is complicit in a crisis. That is certainly not the case in Nigeria,” he added.
He maintained that the Tinubu administration remains open to international cooperation in addressing terrorism and security challenges but would reject any action that undermines Nigeria’s sovereignty or diplomatic norms.
