A group of Northern leaders has written to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly, advising against allowing the relocation of American and French military bases from the Sahel to Nigeria.
The leaders, including Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, Kabiru Sulaiman Chafe, Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, Jibrin Ibrahim, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, and Y. Z. Ya’u, expressed concerns about the potential risks to Nigeria’s sovereignty, security, and economic development.
The leaders noted that the American and French governments have been lobbying Nigeria and other West African countries to sign new defense pacts, which would allow them to redeploy troops expelled from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
They warned that signing such a pact would have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s defense and internal security, and could compromise the country’s sovereignty and independence.
The leaders also highlighted the controversial history of foreign military presence in Nigeria, citing the abrogation of the Anglo-Nigerian Defense Agreement in the 1960s and the public’s consistent resistance to foreign military alliances. They urged the government to prioritize Nigeria’s long-term peace and security over short-term strategic
