Oluwafunbi Bello 
Former Senator, Shehu Sani
KADUNA, Nigeria – Former Kaduna Central Senator Shehu Sani says Nigeria must take primary responsibility for its internal security despite recent United States military strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets in the country’s North-West.
Reacting to reports that US Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducts airstrikes in coordination with Nigerian authorities, Sani says foreign military support can only complement—not replace—Nigeria’s own security efforts.
In a post on his verified X account on Friday, Sani states that “the ultimate security and peace in our country lies with ourselves and not with the US or any foreign power.” “They can complementarily or unilaterally strike,” he adds, “but they cannot eternally fight our battles.”
The former senator describes the reported joint operation as justified given the escalating threat posed by terrorist groups in the region, traditionally considered outside Nigeria’s main insurgency theatres. “If actually the military strikes against terrorist targets in the North-West were a joint operation with Nigerian authorities, then it is a conscionable action,” Sani says, adding that terrorists have become “cancerous cells” within parts of the country.
He also rejects claims that terrorist violence in Nigeria targets only one religious group, calling such narratives “absolutely false and misleading.”
Sani’s comments come amid renewed national debate over Nigeria’s security architecture, intelligence capacity, and dependence on foreign military partnerships.
Analysts say his remarks reflect growing concern that while international cooperation remains useful, long-term stability depends on strengthening domestic security institutions and addressing the root causes of extremism.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Chukwu Obinna 
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
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