Deployment Of US Troops Signals Turning Point In Nigeria’s War Against Terror—Ejiofor

By Chuks Eke—

Human rights lawyer, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has described the recent deployment of troops from the United States of America, USA, following bilateral security engagements with the Federal Government of Nigeria, as a good omen and a turning point in the quest to wipe out insecurity in the country.

In a press statement issued yesterday titled: “When allies arrive: why the deployment of US troops signals a turning point in Nigeria’s war against terror”, Ejiofor insisted that there are moments in the life of a nation when rhetoric must finally give way to resolve.

According to Ejiofor, “For years, Nigerians, particularly vulnerable Christian communities in parts of Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Niger and other affected states, have endured a cycle of carnage so relentless that it risks becoming normalised.

“Churches attacked during worship. Villages razed in the dead of night. Innocent citizens are abducted and paraded in macabre propaganda videos by marauding extremists. And yet, in the face of this grim reality, we have often been treated to familiar refrains: “The situation is under control.” One is tempted to ask — under whose control?”

“The reported arrival of experienced American ground troops, supported by logistical capabilities and operational resources, signals not merely military reinforcement but strategic seriousness. It suggests that insecurity in Nigeria is no longer to be viewed as an unfortunate domestic inconvenience, but as a destabilising phenomenon with regional and global implications”.

“Security collaboration between sovereign nations is neither novel nor sinister. It is the very architecture upon which contemporary counter-terrorism operations are built.

“The alliance between the United States and various nations across Africa in confronting insurgent networks is well documented. Why then should Nigeria be treated as an exception, particularly when the scale of bloodshed has reached intolerable proportions?”

“If anything, this collaboration has the capacity to strengthen intelligence gathering and operational precision. Disrupt terror financing networks, expose enablers and logistical backers operating behind carefully curated façades; Curtail incessant attacks on defenceless worshippers and rural communities; and restore confidence in the State’s monopoly of legitimate force”.

“What has proved particularly revealing, however, is the swift and animated objection from certain ideological quarters. Some fundamentalist voices, whose doctrinal rigidity has too often coincided with escalating insecurity, now demand exhaustive details of bilateral security arrangements and, in some instances, declare the collaboration “unacceptable.”

“One must admire the audacity. For years, innocent Nigerians have been unacceptable collateral. Worshippers have been unacceptable targets. Entire communities have been unacceptable casualties. Yet it is the prospect of international cooperation to curb these atrocities that suddenly triggers constitutional purism and procedural anxiety”.

“It is legitimate to scrutinise foreign military presence. It is prudent to insist upon sovereignty safeguards. But it is disingenuous to weaponise sovereignty as a shield for impunity, or worse, as a bargaining chip for political relevance”.

“Nigeria’s prolonged insecurity has, regrettably, been exploited as political capital. Fear has been monetised. Outrage has been curated. Tragedy has been rehearsed. The time has come to halt the cynical weaponisation of bloodshed for sectarian leverage or ideological posturing”.

“If the collaboration with the United States succeeds in exposing not only the foot soldiers of terror but also the financiers, recruiters, propagandists and ideological incubators behind them, then it will represent far more than a military intervention. It will mark the dismantling of an ecosystem of death”.

“If this deployment contributes to minimising incessant attacks on Christian communities, securing vulnerable populations of all faiths, and restoring deterrence against terror networks, then it is indeed a step in the right direction”.

“History will not remember who issued the loudest objections. It will remember who stood for the protection of human life”.