The Need for Foreign Military Support in Nigeria
Nigeria is facing a growing security crisis, with bandits and terrorists causing widespread violence and displacement. To address this, there is an urgent need for foreign military support. If Nigeria had sought assistance from international allies earlier, the issue of genocide against Christians might not have escalated to its current level. Critics, including former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, have accused President Bola Tinubu of “romancing with bandits,” claiming that the government has been paying allowances to armed groups. This has led to calls for foreign military intervention to stop the ongoing violence.
Foreign military support could help halt the killing and kidnapping of law-abiding Nigerians, particularly in the North-Central and North-West regions. States such as Kogi, Plateau, Benue, Kwara, and Niger are currently under attack from bandits, while Zamfara and Katsina face similar threats. Establishing foreign military bases in these areas could stabilize the region and prevent further bloodshed. However, some opponents argue that allowing foreign forces into Nigeria undermines national sovereignty and may be working with criminals.
A Controversial Approach to Security
Negotiating with bandits has proven to be a complex and controversial strategy, especially in Nigeria, where peace pacts with criminal gangs have been made in several states. A foreign military base could create a stronger deterrent against such groups. For example, Riley Moore, a U.S. Congressman, has called on the U.S. government to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern due to the “systematic persecution and slaughter of Christians.” This highlights the international concern over the situation in Nigeria.
In May 2024, Northern Nigerian leaders and civil society organizations warned the Tinubu administration against allowing the U.S. and France to establish new military bases in Nigeria. This warning came after the expulsion of French and American forces from neighboring Niger and other Sahel countries. When the Northern elders rejected the idea of foreign military bases after France and the U.S. closed their bases in Niger, it was clear that Nigeria would face a significant security gap.
Now, with the emergence of the Lukarawa terror group, equipped with modern weapons like drones, the lack of foreign military presence has become even more concerning. Previously, foreign military bases in Niger were effective in combating terror groups with international assistance, but Northern leaders dismissed this option.
Escalating Violence and Humanitarian Crisis
The alarming rise of bandits and the Lukarawa terror group in states such as Sokoto, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Benue, Katsina, Zamfara, and Plateau has raised fresh concerns about when the war against banditry in the North will truly end. These deadly groups caught many northerners by surprise, initially met with scepticism until the Defence Headquarters confirmed their existence. The Northern leaders’ approach of treating insecurity as an internal issue has allowed the region to become a hub for bandits spreading across Nigeria and even into Africa.
The failures of leadership among Hausa and Fulani elites have transformed these regions into epicenters of banditry and kidnapping. Over the past 15 years, thousands have been killed—primarily in the North-West and North-East—millions displaced internally, and thousands more fleeing into the Niger Republic. This violence has decimated livestock and crops, exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis, and depressed an economy with Nigeria’s lowest human development indices.
Specific Cases and Calls for Action
In Kwara State, 142 people were kidnapped, 70 killed, and 25 communities deserted in one year. The Senate recently sought an urgent military base in Kwara State and federal intervention over the growing insecurity in the state. This followed an escalating wave of killings, kidnappings, and bandits’ attacks in Kwara South Senatorial District, particularly in Ifelodun Local Government Area.
The motion was sponsored by the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Senator Oyelola Ashiru, who detailed figures of human casualties, mass displacement, and economic paralysis in parts of the senatorial zone. He noted that within the last month alone, not fewer than twelve forest guards and local vigilante members were killed in an ambush by armed bandits in Oke-Ode.
Ashiru lamented that the attackers, mostly foreign armed elements operating with local informants, had established hideouts within forests along the Kwara–Kogi–Ekiti boundary axis, from where they launch raids on unsuspecting villages. He warned that if the situation was not urgently contained, the crisis could spread to other parts of the North-Central and South-West regions, threatening wider national stability.
Following extensive debate, the Senate unanimously resolved to urge the Federal Government to establish a permanent military base in Kwara South, near the forest belts of Ifelodun Local Government Area, to serve as a rapid response hub against armed incursions in the zone.
The Debate Over Foreign Military Bases
Recent developments indicate that Nigeria is not currently considering hosting a foreign military base, despite ongoing domestic security challenges. The proposal is also a subject of debate among policymakers and security experts due to the potential impacts on national sovereignty, regional dynamics, and security effectiveness.
In December 2024, Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, declared that Nigeria would not host a foreign military base, affirming the country’s preference for bilateral relationships focused on training and technology acquisition. Proponents argue that foreign military support could help Nigeria address persistent issues like terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping. The presence of foreign troops could provide additional training, intelligence sharing, and advanced hardware.
With other foreign powers increasing their presence in Africa, some analysts suggest that hosting a base from a strategic ally, such as the United States, could help counterbalance external influences in the region.
