by Janefrances Chibundu
Civil society organisations (CSOs) have accused President Bola Tinubu of abdicating his constitutional responsibilities as commander-in-chief following a United States air strike carried out on Nigerian territory on Christmas Day.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, the CSOs expressed “grave concern and deep alarm” over the strike and the alleged silence and absence of Nigeria’s political and military leadership in its aftermath.
The CSOs said the air strike raised serious questions about Nigeria’s sovereignty, civilian protection, constitutional governance and the credibility of the country’s democratic institutions.
“It is apparent that Nigeria is in a dual crisis of leadership and security, and at the heart of this crisis is the apparent abdication by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of his constitutional role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces,” the statement reads.
The groups criticised the involvement of a foreign government in addressing an internal security challenge, arguing that such action amounted to a ceding of Nigeria’s sovereign authority.
They said it was “deeply disturbing” that neither the president, the service chiefs nor the leadership of the national assembly had publicly addressed the incident, leaving the minister of foreign affairs to explain decisions that, in their view, strike at the heart of national sovereignty and democratic accountability.
According to the CSOs, section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 constitution makes the security and welfare of the people the primary purpose of government, stressing that any security operation — particularly one involving foreign military forces — must be transparent, accountable and subject to civilian oversight.
“None of these standards were met,” the statement added.
While acknowledging the importance of international counterterrorism cooperation, the organisations called for a critical review of Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) and its policy framework for preventing and countering violent extremism, to determine whether the US operation aligned with existing national frameworks or exposed major gaps.
The CSOs said Nigerians had not been informed of the legal basis for authorising the strike, the rules of engagement, the safeguards put in place to protect civilians or the accountability mechanisms available in the event of civilian harm.
“This opacity fuels mistrust and undermines public confidence in government at a time when trust is already dangerously low,” they said.
They also expressed concern over reports that debris from expended munitions fell on farmlands in Jabo, Tambuwal local government area of Sokoto state, and near a hotel in Offa, Kwara state, noting that there had been no confirmation that any legitimate targets were hit.
The groups said the lack of publicly articulated civilian harm mitigation measures was especially troubling, despite the Nigerian Air Force inaugurating a civilian harm mitigation and response board earlier in the year.
“Responsible governance demands clear standards for target verification, proportionality assessments, post-strike damage evaluations, and accessible avenues for civilian complaints, investigation, compensation, and redress,” the statement said, describing their absence as a “serious governance failure”.
The CSOs warned that poor handling of the situation could worsen religious and communal tensions in an already fragile national environment, urging the government to adopt a unified and rights-respecting approach to security challenges.
They also called for transparent investigations into any civilian harm resulting from the strike, public disclosure of findings, and prompt assistance and compensation for affected communities.
“The authorisation of a foreign military to conduct strikes within Nigerian territory without any public explanation of the necessity or legal basis for such action, coupled with the continued silence of the president, the service chiefs and the national assembly, is wholly unacceptable,” the groups said.
They added that if Nigeria’s political and security leadership believed they lacked the capacity to manage internal security challenges, “constitutional responsibility and democratic integrity demand that they resign”.
The statement was signed by several organisations and individuals, including Amnesty International Nigeria, BudgIT, Yiaga Africa, CLEEN Foundation, Media Rights Agenda, SBM Intelligence, and Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, among others. (Cable)
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