Former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, has defended the United States military intervention against terrorists in Sokoto, arguing that concerns over Nigeria’s sovereignty ignore long-standing realities on the ground.

In a post on X, Moghalu addressed criticism following the United States strike authorised by President of the United States on December 25, 2025, saying the sovereignty argument fails to account for years of territorial loss to violent groups within Nigeria.

“Nigeria’s sovereignty was ALREADY violated by terrorists who have long controlled ungoverned spaces in the country such as Sambisa forest and other areas,” Moghalu wrote.

He added that in parts of the northwest and northeast, armed groups had gone as far as administering taxes on Nigerians, a situation he described as a clear erosion of state authority.

Moghalu questioned why such violations had not generated the same outrage now being directed at the American intervention.

“If this violation of sovereignty was not of strong concern for some critics, it strikes me as crocodile tears to worry about a ‘loss’ of sovereignty by virtue of the American military intervention,” he said.

He also challenged the moral basis of the argument, asking whether it was acceptable that “the lives of Nigerians of all faiths or none” had been “casually destroyed by terrorist attacks over the past 16 years,” while foreign intervention against terrorism was being condemned.

According to Moghalu, the sovereignty debate is further weakened by the reported cooperation between Nigerian authorities and the United States over the strike. He noted that such collaboration, regardless of how it came about, effectively provided cover for all parties involved.

“The sovereignty argument is largely neutralised by the ‘cooperation’ between the Nigerian military and government, on the one hand, and the United States on the other regarding the military strikes against terror,” he said.

Moghalu argued that sovereignty cannot exist in practical terms when a state is unable to control its territory or protect its citizens.

“Sovereignty is meaningless when a state cannot control its territory or protect its citizens from external attacks. In that case it’s simply a theory, not a reality,” he wrote.

He said the central question should be how Nigeria can strategically recover and reassert authority over its territory while effectively protecting lives and property. According to him, the American intervention should be seen as only a starting point in addressing a complex security challenge.

“The real issue is whether and how Nigeria can strategically recover and establish its sovereignty over its territory and effectively protect the lives and property of its citizens,” Moghalu said.

He stressed the importance of building nationhood, which he said creates “a shared worldview and unity of purpose,” describing it as just as important, if not more so, than external military support.

Moghalu also highlighted internal factors undermining national security, pointing to sectionalism, religious extremism and an entrenched “us versus them” mindset. He warned that when people identify more with narrow sectarian interests than a pan-Nigerian identity, collective security is weakened.

“For the real issue is that Nigeria’s security is fundamentally compromised by sectionalism, religious irredentism, and the ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mindset,” he said.