By BONIFACE AKARAH

Nigeria’s sovereignty is under scrutiny as a coalition of more than 80 civil society organizations—including Amnesty International Nigeria, Media Rights Agenda, FENRAD, Accountability Lab, and Yiaga Africa—condemned the government’s handling of the U.S. airstrike on Nigerian soil on Christmas Day, questioning the absence and silence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the nation’s security leadership in the operation’s aftermath.

In a statement made public by the coalition, the groups described the government’s response as a “dual crisis of leadership and security” that exposes “the apparent abdication by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of his constitutional role as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.” The statement added, “By inviting a foreign government to manage what is fundamentally an internal security challenge, the President ceded sovereign authority in a manner that undermines Nigeria’s constitutional order.”

The CSOs raised serious concerns over the lack of transparency regarding the legal basis, scope, and rules of engagement governing the Nigerian-U.S. operation. Reports indicated debris from munitions fell on farmlands in Jabo, Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, and near a hotel in Offa, Kwara State, underscoring the real risk to civilians. “While the Nigerian Air Force inaugurated a Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Board earlier this year, no publicly articulated protocols have been presented for this strike,” the coalition said. “Responsible governance demands transparency, post-strike damage assessments, and accessible avenues for civilian complaints, investigation, compensation, and redress.”

The statement also questioned Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) and its Policy Framework for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, calling for urgent review in light of the U.S. operation. “If the President and his security leadership have concluded that they lack the capacity to manage Nigeria’s internal security challenges and would rather cede such authority to a foreign power, then constitutional responsibility and democratic integrity demand that they resign,” the statement read.

The coalition warned that without decisive accountability and transparent investigation, public trust in Nigeria’s leadership would continue to deteriorate, stressing that Nigerians deserve “accountable leadership and security rooted in sovereignty, the rule of law, and respect for human life.”

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