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A proposal by a senior Nigerian senator for expanded American military operations in the country’s insurgency-plagued northeast has sparked a fractured national debate, with lawmakers, civil society groups, and regional organizations taking sharply divergent positions even as United States military aircraft landed at Nigerian Air Force bases and offloaded ammunition in what security analysts described as preparations for a coordinated offensive against the Islamic State West Africa Province.
Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South and has spent years calling for more aggressive counterinsurgency action in communities along the Mandara Mountains, endorsed the deployment of U.S. soldiers to his state during a Friday appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said the partnership represented an opportunity Nigeria had sought for years and should be embraced without hesitation. “The fact that the Americans are now helping us fight insurgency is a welcome development. We have been looking for this support for a long time and have made many efforts to get it, but have failed. Now that we have this window of opportunity, we must utilise it,” Ndume said. He described Boko Haram fighters as having dominated the Mandara Mountain terrain for 15 years, forcing residents to flee farmlands, leaving thousands stranded in internally displaced persons camps, and preventing him personally from visiting his own village for years even under armed escort. He called for sustained, consistent military offensives rather than the intermittent operations that have characterized the campaign.
Ndume clarified that U.S. troops already deployed would not engage insurgents directly. “They are not engaging the enemy themselves. Instead, they are providing technological support and training. Furthermore, they are not operating independently; they are working under the leadership and command of the Nigerian Army,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on February 10 that American and Nigerian officials had confirmed plans to deploy approximately 200 U.S. troops to Nigeria to provide advisory support at various locations. Between February 6 and 14, six U.S. Air Force cargo planes landed in West Africa, all stopping first in Accra, Ghana. Of the five that proceeded to Nigeria, one C-17A aircraft landed at Kainji Airbase while one C-130J-30 and three C-17A aircraft touched down at Maiduguri Airbase in Borno State. Senior officers at the Defence Headquarters confirmed that U.S. military aircraft had delivered ammunition to support security operations in Borno as part of ongoing counterinsurgency collaboration.
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The Defence Headquarters said in a statement that all engagements with the United States were conducted with total respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and within bilateral frameworks. DHQ Director of Defence Information Major General Samaila Uba stressed that the deployment focused on capacity building, professional military education, intelligence sharing, logistics support, and strategic dialogue. “The Armed Forces of Nigeria remain committed to protecting the nation’s territorial integrity,” he said.
In the National Assembly, the proposal divided two senior lawmakers. House Committee on Defence Chairman Babajimi Benson said the substantive question was not numbers of troops but capabilities. “The issue is not additional or fewer numbers, but what role and capabilities they are bringing to support the Armed Forces of Nigeria. At present, we are focused on training and technology enablers that would enhance our capacities to defeat the adversary,” he said, adding: “Would those opposed to such efforts prefer the nation continue to haemorrhage from insecurity, terrorism, banditry, and ceaseless kidnapping?”
House Committee on Air Force Chairman Alhassan Rurum from Kano took a contrary position. “I’m not in support of the American Army deployment to Nigeria. Our Armed Forces are capable of handling our security challenges. We only need to properly fund and provide modern equipment for them,” he said.
The Middle Belt Forum, which represents communities devastated by terrorist attacks across Nigeria’s central states, expressed support for Ndume’s call while urging careful operational planning. Forum President Dr. Bitrus Pogu said intelligence preparation was essential before any expanded foreign troop engagement. “A foreign army will find it very difficult to operate. So, if they are going to do it together with the soldiers or the police on the ground, a lot of study and intelligence must first be made available,” he said, warning that internal compromise within Nigerian security forces posed a particular operational risk.
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Forum spokesman Luka Binniyat said the communities the MBF represented had no room for hesitation.
“Communities are being attacked with alarming frequency, lives are being lost, and thousands are displaced. At a time when Nigeria has entered into a defence cooperation understanding with the US, it is troubling that terrorists appear emboldened, almost as if mocking that partnership. If foreign military support will help degrade terror networks, improve intelligence gathering, and restore confidence to vulnerable communities, then it should be welcomed,” he said.
The Arewa Consultative Forum declined to take a firm position, citing lack of information. National Publicity Secretary Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba said constitutional considerations were paramount. “ACF is worried that full details of the US military involvement are yet to be made public, which is a cause for concern. There are legal and constitutional implications, such as the need for the National Assembly’s approval, because it involves foreign military forces acting in Nigeria’s territory,” he said.
The Forum of Northern Christians, led by Chairman Joseph Hayab, said security outcomes were the overriding consideration. “There is nothing wrong with the US backing Nigeria to save the country from terrorist attacks. Any partnership that would effectively address insecurity should be embraced,” Hayab said.
The Coalition of Northern Groups expressed ambivalence. Gombe State Chairman Mohammed Deba noted the contradiction in Nigeria contributing peacekeeping troops elsewhere while struggling to address its own security challenges. “Recently, we supported other African countries in maintaining peace. So why can’t we solve our security issues?” he said, offering only partial endorsement. The current deployments follow the U.S. airstrike in Sokoto State on Christmas Day 2025, which targeted Islamic State-linked militants in Tangaza Local Government Area with what President Trump described as precision strikes. Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar confirmed the Christmas operation was conducted with Nigerian intelligence support and government approval.
