Lagos, Dec. 27, 2025 – Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has urged the Federal Government to extend its collaborative military operations with the United States against terrorist enclaves to Nigeria’s North-East, citing the persistent presence of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the region.
Ndume’s appeal follows a series of precision airstrikes jointly executed by Nigerian and US forces on December 26 targeting ISWAP cells in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, North-West Nigeria. The former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army described the operation as a “welcome step” but stressed that replicating such efforts in the North-East could substantially degrade insurgent capabilities.
“We welcome this cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in targeting terrorists’ hideouts. I am calling on them to extend it to the North-East, where ISWAP and Boko Haram have their three known black spots: Lake Chad, Mandara Mountains, and Sambisa, which are exclusive strongholds,” Ndume stated.
He further recommended that US military support should include ground troop training, intelligence sharing, logistical assistance, and attack helicopter support, emphasizing the need for comprehensive operational capacity beyond aerial strikes.
Security Implications for the North-East
The North-East continues to bear the brunt of protracted insurgency, with Boko Haram and ISWAP responsible for mass casualties, village raids, and large-scale displacement. Analysts note that extending joint operations could deliver:
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Operational containment: Degrading terrorist command-and-control nodes in Sambisa, Lake Chad, and Mandara Mountains.
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Investor confidence signal: Enhanced security improves conditions for subnational economic activity, including agriculture, trade corridors, and infrastructure projects in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.
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Fiscal stress mitigation: Reduced security crises may lower unplanned state and federal expenditures on emergency relief, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and reconstruction.
However, risk assessment underscores the challenges of cross-border insurgency management, including: potential civilian casualties, public scrutiny of foreign military involvement, and the need for coordinated intelligence to avoid operational failures.
Political and Legal Context
Ndume’s call aligns with the President’s 26 December airstrike, which US officials confirmed was executed with Nigerian intelligence and formal approval. Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar highlighted that the operation strictly adhered to international law and Nigerian sovereignty, and was “not motivated by religion.”
The remarks come shortly after a suicide bomb attack at a mosque in Gamboru, Maiduguri, which claimed five lives. Ndume condemned the attack, noting that insurgent violence in Nigeria is indiscriminate and transcends religious lines, challenging narratives that portray conflict along purely sectarian dimensions.
“The terrorists making life unbearable for our people are blind to religion. In this instance, on the eve of Christmas, all the victims were Muslims. The narrative of Christian genocide doesn’t exist,” he said.
Fiscal and Security Takeaways
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Budgetary alignment: Ndume praised President Bola Tinubu for allocating the highest-ever budget to the defence sector in the proposed 2026 fiscal plan but stressed transparency and accountability in fund utilisation.
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Subnational stability: Strengthened military collaboration can reduce state-level security expenditure shocks, improving financial predictability for North-East states.
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Investor-risk perspective: Stability in insurgency-prone regions enhances confidence for domestic and foreign investment in agriculture, energy, and infrastructure sectors.
Analysts caution, however, that while aerial precision strikes degrade militant capacities, a sustained, intelligence-driven, and locally integrated approach is critical to achieving long-term security gains and avoiding civilian harm, which could trigger both domestic and international scrutiny.
Ndume’s call signals a policy window for federal authorities to formalize extended US-Nigeria military cooperation, potentially reshaping counterinsurgency strategy across the North-East, while providing a template for data-driven, accountability-conscious security operations that balance operational effectiveness with subnational economic and fiscal stability.
Babatunde Akinsola ✔
Babatunde Akinsola is aNaija247news' Southwest editor. He's based in Lagos and writes on the Yoruba Nation political issues, news and investigative reports
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