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Foreign Affairs Minister Tuggar
By ABDULKABIR MUHAMMED
Nigeria's foreign affairs minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has confirmed that the United States acted upon the intelligence and approval by the federal government of Nigeria, in its strike on the ISIS terrorist group in Jabo district in the Tambuwal local government area in Sokoto on Christmas night.
Speaking earlier today on the Sunrise Daily program on Channels Television, the foreign minister debunked the scepticism around Nigeria's sovereignty being undermined, arguing that the Nigerian government had collaborated with its US counterpart in the operation.
"You can be assured that President Tinubu and his administration would not agree to or acquiesce to, or take any actions that would violate the sovereignty or territorial integrity of Nigeria. It's a collaborative effort. It's what we have been calling for. When we even allude to the Lee Hi Laws that stopped the sale of equipment, both kinetic and non-kinetic to Nigeria which impact has affected the ability of Nigeria to respond to some of these threats, both domestically as well as within the region."
Tuggar also cautioned the populace against "framing" the conflict in Nigeria as being religious or genocidal. He argued that the conflicts have a regional outlook, which must be understood in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.
"This conflict is a regional conflict. It's not a Nigerian conflict. If you frame it incorrectly and say that it's a Nigerian conflict or that it's a religious conflict within Nigeria, you get it wrong. And you apply the wrong solutions to the problem. That's why the framing is equally important," he said.
The minister also reiterated the cooperation between Nigeria and neighbouring states like, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Benin, in combating the single enemy.
The development occurred after much effort to strengthen the relationship and collaboration between the Nigerian government and the United States counterpart, following the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by President Donald Trump in October.
