Shehu Sani Hails Christmas Day Airstrikes on Lakurawa Terrorists but Warns Nigeria Against ‘Dangerous Reliance’ on Foreign Airpower and Intelligence

Human rights activist and former Senator Shehu Sani has sparked a national conversation on military sovereignty following the high-profile U.S. airstrikes that decimated terrorist hideouts in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day.

Speaking from Kaduna, Sani expressed a mix of relief and strategic caution. He welcomed the “decisive neutralization” of members of the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), locally known as Lakurawa, who have recently imposed a harsh version of Sharia law and taxed residents in Sokoto and Kebbi states.

“The elimination of these merchants of death is a gift to the people of the Northwest who have lived under the shadow of fear,” Sani stated. “However, we must be careful not to outsource the core responsibility of our national security to foreign powers. Airstrikes from across the ocean may solve a today problem, but they create a tomorrow of dependence.”

The strikes, which were authorized by U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, represent a significant escalation in foreign military intervention on Nigerian soil. While the Nigerian government has framed the event as a triumph of bilateral “intelligence exchange,” Sani warned that “intelligence sharing” should not become a euphemism for “security abdication.”

Sani’s critique centers on the sustainability of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism doctrine. He argued that the Nigerian military currently overstretched across multiple fronts—must be empowered to conduct such precision operations independently. “The moment our survival depends on the satellite imagery and drones of another nation, we have compromised a piece of our sovereignty,” he added.

The former lawmaker also touched on the root causes of the insurgency, noting that the Lakurawa group originally entered Nigeria under the guise of “protection” for local communities against bandits. Their transition into an oppressive occupying force, he says, was made possible only by a security vacuum in the borderlands.

“We must fill the gaps in our forests with our own boots on the ground,” Sani concluded. “Foreign jets will return to their bases; our villagers will remain. We must ensure that when the foreign fire subsides, the Nigerian state is strong enough to stand on its own two feet.”

The Federal Government has yet to issue a formal rebuttal to Sani’s comments, though military sources insist that the collaboration with the U.S. is a “strategic partnership” rather than a sign of weakness.