The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy, Sunday Dare, has said that Nigeria’s fight against terrorism requires strong international collaboration, stressing that the country cannot face the threat alone.
The remarks come amid rising concern over the recent abduction of 25 schoolgirls from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, and the ongoing threat posed by terrorists in the country.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Dare highlighted the importance of strategic partnerships, particularly with the United States, in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.
“Nigeria does not pretend it can win this war alone, nor should it have to.
“The strategic partnership between Nigeria and the United States has been invaluable,” he wrote.
He recalled the role of American special forces in training Nigerian naval units during the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency, including after the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014.
“American special forces trained Nigerian naval units during the height of the Boko Haram insurgency, including the period following the Chibok schoolgirl abductions and presently the Maga girls abduction.
“Today, training, intelligence cooperation, and joint exercises continue. However, they are not enough to match the scale of the threat,” Dare added.
The aide’s remarks come against a backdrop of growing international scrutiny of Nigeria’s handling of terrorism.
In late October, former US President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations, citing what he described as an “existential threat” to Christianity amid mass attacks by extremist groups, including Boko Haram.
Trump also warned that the US Department of War should prepare for “fast, vicious” military action and threatened to halt US aid or potentially intervene “guns-a-blazing” if Nigeria failed to act decisively.
Tinubu had earlier rejected the claims as misleading and simplistic, insisting that violence in the north-central region stems from complex conflicts involving herder-farmer disputes, banditry, and extremism targeting both Muslims and Christians indiscriminately.
He, however, welcomed collaborative counter-terrorism efforts that respect Nigeria’s sovereignty.
