Terrorism: Nigeria’s sovereignty intact, US military assistance complimentary-DHQ

From Molly Kilete, Abuja

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), on Friday, said that military assistance being provided by the United States government to Nigeria to curb activities of terrorists is at no cost and does not in any way undermine the nation’s sovereignty.

Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Micheal Onoja, who made this known, said the support from the US is focused purely on training Nigerian troops and strengthening ongoing counter-terrorism efforts. He said that the collaboration should not be viewed as abnormal.

Gen. Onoja, at a media briefing on the ongoing military operations across the country said: “The American government is interested in combating terrorism and the assistance being rendered to Nigeria comes at no cost.”

Onoja, while assuring that Nigeria’s territorial integrity and national security remains intact, maintained that no aspect of the country’s sovereignty has been compromised, and urged the public to focus on the value the partnership adds to Nigeria’s operations rather than the number of foreign personnel involved in the operation.

While noting that the cooperation in the last two months has already yielded positive outcomes, with more results expected in the coming days, Gen. Onoja, explained that US personnel in the country are primarily engaged in training programmes, similar to arrangements where Nigerian officers travel abroad for training.

“There is no basis for concern. We go for training abroad all the time. This is simply a training programme,” he said.

He also assured that the military leadership, including theatre commanders and chief security officers in affected areas, remain on top of the security situation and are taking necessary steps to prevent further attacks.

Onoja, while calling on the media to report security developments responsibly, warned that excessive publicity of terrorist activities could serve the interests of insurgents by spreading panic.