.calls for cooperation with Russia, others
By Our Reporter
The Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM), has thrown support for the recent joint military operation between Nigeria and the United States in Sokoto State, urging Southwest governors to prepare for potential retaliatory attacks by terrorist elements.
It would be recalled that the joint operation follows a November 2025 ultimatum from US President Donald Trump, citing attacks on Christians in Nigeria, with the Nigerian Foreign Ministry framing the action as a coordinated effort to reclaim national sovereignty from extremist actors.
AYDM, a coalition of pan-Yoruba groups, comprising over 130 socio-cultural, community, artisan, and professional organizations from Southwestern Nigeria, including Kogi, Kwara, and Delta states, gave the endorsement in a statement issued on Sunday and jointly signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Popoola Ajayi and Comrade Rasaq Arogundade, describing the strikes on terrorist hideouts as a necessary measure to address rising extremism in the country.
The coalition, while welcoming the joint strike, said it represented a present and consistent threat to Islamic fundamentalism in Nigeria, saying that it had equally shown that Nigeria was building effective partnerships across the world to reclaim the lost sovereignty of the country.
This was just as the coalition pointed out the need for heightened vigilance in other regions, particularly the Southwest, urging governors in the region to prepare for terrorists’ operations and possible attacks "as the terrorists would wish to fight back, targeting the home base of the president and also foreign economic interests, of which Lagos and the Southwest are chief hosts."
"The joint strike between Nigeria and the United States represents a present and consistent threat to Islamic fundamentalism in Nigeria. We welcome the attacks on terrorists who are determined to take over the Nigerian space. The attack has shown that Nigeria is building effective partnerships across the world to reclaim the lost sovereignty of the country," AYDM said.
"Southwest governors must prepare for terrorists’ operations and possible attacks on the region, as the terrorists would wish to fight back, targeting the home base of the President and also foreign economic interests, of which Lagos and the Southwest are chief hosts," it warned.
AYDM, while acknowledging the strikes as a bold step, argued that military action alone would not resolve underlying socio-political tensions and, therefore, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and National Assembly to pursue decentralisation and ethnic self-determination by restructuring the country.
"It is time to restructure Nigeria so that those who believe in a theocratic state and those who cherish democracy should have their own sovereign republics. There is no country that can fight terrorism alone without sharing intelligence and operations with allies," AYDM demanded.
The coalition, while alleging that terrorism in Nigeria had been exploited as a political tool, claiming that influential sponsors used violence to destabilise the country, suggested that the Tinubu administration should broaden its international security collaborations beyond the United States to include countries such as Russia and Israel.
According to AYDM, increasing level of international involvement could diminish the operational capacity of terrorist groups, provided the government maintains both strategic alliances and internal reforms.
“Nigeria needs as many countries as possible—as many friends that are necessary to defeat terror. The Nigerian authority should also seek collaboration with Russia and Israel, some of the few countries that give unconditional support to Africa’s strive for freedom.
"We wish to see the Nigerian anti-terrorism framework extended to Russia, given their progressive role in counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel," the pan-Yoruba groups said.
Post a Comment