The Nigerian Presidency has warned that it would be diplomatically unacceptable for the United States to carry out any form of military operation in Nigeria without the approval of President Bola Tinubu.
Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, stated this during an interview with the BBC World Service on Monday.
Bwala’s remarks came after former US President Donald Trump described Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged persecution of Christians and threatened to deploy America’s “Department of War” to confront terrorist groups he claimed were targeting Christians in the country.
Reacting, Bwala said Nigeria remains a sovereign and independent nation, and that no foreign power has the right to intervene militarily within its borders without due consultation and agreement.
“If it’s a joint operation with Nigeria, that’s acceptable,” Bwala explained. “But diplomatically, it is wrong to invade a sovereign nation without collaboration—especially one that remains a strategic partner in the fight against insecurity.”
He stressed that any form of foreign military action must be collaborative, not unilateral, as such interference could violate Nigeria’s territorial integrity and international law.
“Unilateral intervention only happens when there is evidence that a government is complicit in a crisis,” he said. “That is certainly not the case in Nigeria.”
Bwala also highlighted that the Tinubu administration has maintained strong diplomatic and security relations with the United States and other Western allies in the global fight against terrorism and religious extremism.
He added that Nigeria has been working closely with its partners through intelligence sharing, training, and joint military exercises to tackle the challenges of insurgency and banditry, particularly in the northern region.
Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous nation and one of the US’s key allies in the region, has faced various security threats in recent years—from Boko Haram insurgents to bandit groups targeting rural communities.
