Former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has described the recent United States airstrikes on Islamic State enclaves in Nigeria as fresh evidence of deep-rooted security failures under the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government.

Olawepo-Hashim said the US military action, reportedly carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities against IS-linked elements operating in parts of the North-West, underscored growing international anxiety over Nigeria’s worsening security situation.

In a statement issued on Sunday and made available to PUNCH Online in Ilorin, Olawepo-Hashim argued that Nigeria’s reliance on external military intervention was a “damning indictment” of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC, noting that the country’s internal security architecture had remained weak and ineffective.

According to him, responsible global actors could not afford to ignore the emergence of an IS foothold in Nigeria, describing the country as “too large, too strategic, and too important to be allowed to fail.”

Olawepo-Hashim disclosed that since 2021, and with greater urgency in the past year, his team had consistently warned that security modelling in the North-West pointed to a dangerous trajectory, including the possible emergence of an IS-aligned enclave if decisive action was not taken.

He linked the deteriorating situation to deepening poverty, prolonged governance failures and weakened institutions, which he said had emboldened extremist groups while shrinking the space for moderate political and secular voices.

“More worrying is the elevation of individuals who enable or rationalise extremism into positions of political influence, creating conditions under which terror groups can aspire to territorial control,” he said.

The former presidential hopeful also referenced the recent explosion in Offa, Kwara State, which sparked panic and destruction of property, noting that such incidents further exposed the fragility of internal security and intelligence coordination across the country.

While acknowledging that foreign airstrikes could temporarily degrade terrorist capabilities, Olawepo-Hashim stressed that sustainable peace could only be achieved through internal reforms.

He said repeated external interventions, if not properly managed, could raise serious sovereignty and accountability concerns, adding that any security cooperation with foreign partners must be governed by clear frameworks, transparency and strict oversight.

“The situation in the North-West is dire. Without urgent internal reforms, improved governance and decisive political leadership, external military interventions will not produce sustainable results,” he warned.

Olawepo-Hashim further questioned the preparedness of the APC-led government to implement the far-reaching reforms required to stabilise the country, arguing that Nigeria continued to face fundamental governance and security deficits capable of undermining its democratic future.

He also alleged that unresolved political compromises dating back to the 2015 struggle for power had weakened the government’s resolve to confront extremist elements decisively.

Olawepo-Hashim warned that Nigeria could no longer afford denial or half-measures in the face of what he described as an existential threat, calling for courageous leadership to halt the country’s slide into deeper insecurity. (Sunday PUNCH)

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