On October 31, 2020, United States Special Forces stormed Nigeria and rescued an American citizen, Philip Walton, 27, in an operation in the Sambisa forest in Borno State.
The special forces, including the US Navy Seals, from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), in a daring nighttime operation, rescued Walton, who was abducted on October 27, from his home in the southern part of Niger Republic.
The operation resulted in the killing of six of the seven abductors.
Walton, a farmer who kept camels, sheep and poultry and grew mangoes near the border of Nigeria, was kidnapped by six men armed with assault rifles who arrived on motorcycles at his home in Massalata village.
His wife, young daughter and brother were left behind.
Walton’s abductors demanded money and searched his home before leaving with him.
His rescue underscores how advanced military technology can be deployed.
The kidnapping menace
Incidences of kidnapping, especially in the North, have spiked in the last few weeks.
On March 7, at least 287 pupils were abducted from the Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School in Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna.
No fewer than 61 people were abducted by suspected terrorists who attacked the Buda Community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna on Monday.
Also, bandits in Sokoto kidnapped 16 Qur’anic students.
In Borno, some women were reportedly kidnapped from their Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camp.
On the evening of January 7, a band of kidnappers dressed in full military uniform invaded the home of a lawyer, Oladosu Folorunso Ariyo, located at Sagwari Layout Estate in Dutse, Abuja.
Ariyo’s wife, also a lawyer, and four children were kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded N60 million.
Ariyo raised N7 million but the kidnappers rejected the money as they insisted on N60 million.
His firstborn, Michelle Ariyo, aged 13, was killed and her body was dumped on Kaduna Road.
A bewildered Ariyo said the bandits threatened to kill his remaining three children, who are minors and his wife if he failed to provide the N60 million ransom.
Six sisters of the Al-Kadriyar family were kidnapped by bandits in the Bwari area of Abuja on January 2.
They regained freedom after the payment of ransom, according to one of the sisters.
The gunmen killed their eldest – Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, a 400-level student of Biological Science at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).
Nabeeha was abducted along with her father and sisters from their home.
Many Nigerians have been calling on the government to seek external support, if necessary, to end the rising insecurity, especially the mass abduction of pupils.
Foreign govts offer assistance
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government was reviewing the offer of foreign assistance in the battle against kidnapping and other high-profile crimes.
He said the United States and other countries, which he did not name, have offered to assist Nigeria.
He spoke with reporters last Wednesday at the State House, Abuja, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, which was presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Idris said: “We’re aware that it is not just the U.S. that has offered to help.
“Other countries have also offered to support Nigeria.
“But what we can tell you is that the government is still reviewing these offers and the position of government will be made known.”
Ongoing security partnership
For more than 50 years, the United States and Nigeria have enjoyed a strong security partnership and friendship.
The U.S.-Nigeria relationship is among the most important in sub-Saharan Africa, given Nigeria’s status as Africa’s most populous country and largest economy, according to the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
The United States works closely with Nigeria, both bilaterally and through regional and multilateral fora like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), and the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS and the African Union.
The joint efforts are focused on increasing cooperation on maritime and border security, military professionalisation, counterterrorism efforts against Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa, defence trade, and strengthening governance of the security sector.
The Department of State provides Nigeria with one of the highest International Military Education and Training (IMET) allocations in sub-Saharan Africa, with approximately $5 million obligated from 2019 –2023.
Nigeria is also a partner in the Africa Military Education Programme (AMEP) and has benefited from approximately $500,000 since 2016 to support instructor and curriculum development at Nigerian military schools.
From 2016 to 2020, $1.8 million was obligated for Nigeria in Foreign Military Financing to support maritime security, military professionalisation, and counterterrorism efforts.
Nigeria is an active member of the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) and has benefitted over $8 million worth of training, equipment, and advisory support for counterterrorism efforts between the financial years 2019 and 2023.
The United States has $590 million in active government-to-government sales cases with Nigeria under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system.
Recent and significant sales include the 2017 sale of 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft worth $497 million to support Nigerian military operations against Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa.
In August of last year, Nigeria delivered the first payment for 12 AH-1Z Attack Helicopters worth a total of $997 million.
Between 2018 and 2022, the United States also authorised the permanent export of over $53 million in defence articles to Nigeria via the Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) process.
The top three categories of defence exports to Nigeria were fire control, laser, imaging, and guidance equipment; firearms and related articles; and guns and armament.
In 2011 and 2015 Nigeria received $15 million in defence articles granted under the Excess Defense Articles programme, including 24 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and two Hamilton-class U.S. Coast Guard high endurance cutters – the USCGC Chase and USCGC Gallatin – which entered service in the Nigerian Navy as Thunder and Okpabana in 2011 and 2014, respectively.
In 2016, the United States and Nigeria signed an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement to exchange common types of support, including food, fuel, transportation, ammunition, and equipment.
Since 2000, the United States has had a Status of Forces Agreement with Nigeria establishing the legal framework under which U.S. military personnel may operate when present in Nigeria.
Since 1993, the United States has provided $2.14 million to support conventional weapons destruction and humanitarian mine action programs in Nigeria.
In March 2017, the Department of Defense donated demining and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment to Nigeria and provides mine action training for Nigeria’s EOD teams at the Nigerian School of Military Engineering.
Lawyers: more support welcome
Legal experts, including Chief Louis Alozie (SAN), Chief Fassy Yusuf, former Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), Dr Monday Ubani and Dr Adewale Kupoluyi shared their views on the matter.
Weighing the risks
Alozie noted concerns that the involvement of foreign nations can undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty as an independent nation.
He, however, said the merits outweigh the concerns, especially in this era of technology where not much can be hidden from military experts.
“Nations do hire mercenaries from foreign countries to assist them fight wars or insurgents.
“There is not much difference between that arrangement and the one which the Federal Government intends to go into.
“The present security challenges appear to be beyond what our internal security can handle,” the SAN said.
Noting the war with insurgents is now a matter of life and death, he added: “Our citizens are being wasted at an alarming rate; the agro-economy is in taters as our farmers can no longer go to farms, which is a contributory factor to the present food scarcity and insecurity.
“So, it has become expedient that foreign assistance is sought.”
‘No nation is an island ‘
According to Yusuf, no country can do it alone in battling major cases of insecurity.
He said: “In the current world we live in, we have inter-dependence on nations. No nation is an island.
“Nigeria accepting or being offered assistance in the area of security to combat insurgency, kidnapping and banditry is a welcome development.
“Some of these countries, especially USA, Israel, Canada, Italy, France and indeed China, have better technology and are in a position to assist us in the area of surveillance, equipment such as drones and others.
“Don’t forget that as mighty as Israel is in the area of security and technology, they still look up to the USA in particular and other friendly countries to supply them with technology.
“When you look at what is happening between Russia and Ukraine, you can see that Ukraine is getting a lot of assistance from NATO countries.
“So, we should be no exception.”
Sovereignty not threatened
Yusuf believes Nigeria’s sovereignty will not be jeopardised unless it is handled recklessly.
He said: “We should look forward to a situation where, with equipment to be handed over to us, we would be able to tackle insurgency.
“I believe that at the end of the day, Nigeria would be better for it.”
‘Why Nigeria should accept offers’
Dr Kupoluyi said that one of the advantages of bilateral relations is to increase and strengthen ties for the benefit of countries.
He noted that Nigeria and the United States already have strong ties that could be further explored.
“Sovereignty is not threatened under such a deal. Both parties are certainly guided by rules and clauses, as provided for under military cooperation.
“Given insecurity pervading our country, the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had called on the United States to consider relocating US Africa Command from Stuttgart, Germany, to Africa, nearer the Theatre of Operations to protect the country from violent kidnappings.
“This did not work out as desired,” he recalled.
Kupoluyi said a more permanent arrangement would be to get more youths and young people into the military to defend the nation’s territorial integrity.
“Our security apparatus should be revamped while the problem of corruption that has not spared any sector of our national life from thriving,” he said.
Kupoluyi stressed that one of the major challenges Nigeria is faced with is insecurity.
According to him, foreign investors are driven away while farmers are prevented from producing food, thus aggravating the level of hunger and poverty in the land.
Ubani: military aid legal
Ubani said whether foreign security assistance compromises sovereignty depends on several factors, which he highlighted.
“Nature of the assistance: If the assistance is provided in a way that respects Nigeria’s autonomy and is based on a collaborative approach, it is less likely to be seen as compromising sovereignty.
“For example, programmes designed in partnership with Nigerian authorities that strengthen local capacities can be viewed positively.
“Terms and conditions: The specifics of the agreement between the countries can also influence perceptions of sovereignty.
“If the assistance allows for significant control or decision-making power by the assisting country over Nigeria’s internal affairs, it could be seen as infringing on Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“Public perception and governmental transparency: How the assistance is perceived by the Nigerian public and the level of transparency around the agreements can also play a critical role.
“If the public feels that the assistance is beneficial and is kept well-informed about the terms and implementation, there may be less concern about sovereignty.
“Effectiveness and respect for human rights: The effectiveness of the assistance in addressing the issues at hand, and whether the efforts respect human rights and local customs, can influence whether the assistance is viewed as supportive or intrusive.”
According to Ubani, assistance from foreign countries, especially in sensitive areas like security, needs to be managed carefully to ensure it does not undermine the principle of sovereignty.
He said such assistance should be designed to empower the recipient country, allowing it to take the lead in addressing its challenges while benefiting from external expertise and resources.
“Nigeria is under no legal disability to receive any support from any foreign country, especially in areas the country is deficient.
“But on no condition should the country’s sovereignty be compromised by the government,” Ubani said.
