- Slams Obi over US invasion comments
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has defended the administration’s handling of ongoing insecurity across northern Nigeria while criticising opposition figure Peter Obi over comments interpreted as welcoming potential United States military action in the country.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on ARISE News’s programme Prime Time, Onanuga said that security agencies are fully aware of the identities and locations of bandit groups responsible for mass abductions, including the attack on St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Niger State. He explained, however, that operational constraints and the risk of harming abducted civilians prevent immediate airstrikes on bandit enclaves.
“The security people, they know all the bandits that are operating in that axis. They know them. They know where they operate,” Onanuga said. He stressed that the government cannot simply launch attacks on these enclaves, noting past mistakes in Borno State where military operations inadvertently struck civilians.
Onanuga further pointed at the difficulties in verifying abduction cases. “As of now, the authorities are in the dark as to how many people are really missing. You said students are missing—let us have their names. Let us know what we are looking for,” he said, adding that the school principal’s disappearance has complicated security efforts. He said that security forces are often restrained by the use of abducted civilians as human shields.
The presidential aide also pointed to steps by the government to bolster security, including redeploying officers from VIP protection to frontline duties. “I read today about 100,000 policemen guarding VIPs. If you share them out to vulnerable areas, that will make a lot of difference,” he said. Onanuga reassured that the administration recognises the severity of the current security challenges and that President Tinubu would address the nation soon following consultations with security agencies.
I’ll welcome Trump’s invasion — Peter Obi
In a separate but related development, Onanuga condemned remarks by former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, in which he appeared to welcome potential military intervention by the United States following a post by former US President Donald Trump directing preparations for possible action in Nigeria.
“If Donald Trump said he will invade Nigeria, I will welcome it with open arms because security is my priority,” Obi was recorded saying in a video posted online. Onanuga described the comments as a disregard for Nigeria’s sovereignty and warned that the government would not forgive such statements.
The resurfaced footage comes after Trump labelled Nigeria a site of “Christian genocide” and directed the Pentagon to prepare for possible military action, claims which Nigeria has officially rejected.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa emphasised that attacks in Nigeria affect citizens of all faiths and are not condoned by the state.
Tinubu, speaking at a defence briefing in Abuja, highlighted the appointment of a Christian as Chief of Defence Staff and noted ongoing engagement with religious leaders to strengthen inter-faith stability.
Presidential adviser Daniel Bwala added that Nigeria would only accept foreign assistance that respects its territorial integrity.
Obi’s comments, recorded on 23 November, were consistent with his prior position urging constructive diplomatic engagement between Abuja and Washington, and his calls for a coordinated approach to tackle insecurity.
However, Onanuga said the government perceives such statements as undermining national authority, particularly at a time when banditry and armed attacks have forced school closures and left thousands of children out of education in northern states.
