Senator Abdul Ningi has criticized the recent United States military airstrikes in Sokoto State, labeling the operation a breach of Nigeria’s territorial integrity and a violation of the 1999 Constitution.
Speaking on ARISE Television on Thursday night, the representative of Bauchi Central Senatorial District argued that no arm of government, including the Presidency, possesses the legal authority to invite a foreign power to conduct military strikes on Nigerian soil.
“First of all, we are an independent nation guided by rules and regulations and, of course, guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Ningi stated. “There’s nowhere, there’s no place in the constitution that has given anybody, including the president, any right to ask a foreign power to have a strike into the territorial integrity of the country.”
The controversy stems from a December 25, 2025, operation where U.S. forces launched coordinated strikes against Islamic State-affiliated militants in Sokoto. While federal officials suggested the presidency provided intelligence for the hit, Ningi insists the move bypassed constitutional protocols.
The Senator expressed concern over the normalization of such actions, specifically calling out the Ministers of Information and Foreign Affairs for confirming that the executive branch was privy to the operation.
“Even conceding that the federal executive were informed… the Minister of Information came out with a statement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs also came out with a statement that they were informed and they provided intel that the U.S. used in launching the strike, and that is the crux of the matter,” Ningi said.
According to the lawmaker, if foreign assistance was necessary, it should have been structured as a joint operation involving Nigerian forces on the ground rather than a unilateral foreign strike. He further dismissed claims that the operation was conducted in maritime zones to avoid sovereignty issues, noting that Nigeria’s territorial waters are equally protected under the law.
Ningi also took aim at the exclusion of the legislature from the decision-making process, reminding the executive that the National Assembly is a co-partner in governance. “The only difference between the military and a democracy is the existence of the legislature,” he remarked. “The executive has two elected officials… the entire members of the National Assembly, 109 and 360, are elected representatives of the people that should be accountable to the people.”
The Senator concluded by warning that failure to challenge such actions amounts to rationalizing irrationality, and called on the Federal Government to provide a full explanation for the operation.
