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Senator Henry Seriake Dickson has advised the Federal Government to work with the United States and other allies of Nigeria to defeat terrorism in the country.
The Senator representing Bayelsa West made this known in a statement on Thursday, stressing that Nigeria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national institutions must be respected.
According to him, he fully supports any collaborative action aimed at eradicating the murderous bands of terrorists who have wantonly slaughtered thousands of men and women — Christians, Muslims, and adherents of other faiths alike.
“For almost 15 years, jihadist terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and affiliates of ISWAP, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and, more recently, groups like Lakurawa and Wulowulo, have wreaked unimaginable havoc. Places of worship — both churches and mosques, as well as palaces and traditional rulers — have not been spared in their bloodbath. School children have been kidnapped, killed, or forcefully married off. The victims of these jihadist attacks, which began in Borno, were Muslims and Christians.”
The former Bayelsa governor stressed that although President Trump’s statement is a wake-up call to action, the US should collaborate with the Nigerian Government to flush out these terrorists.
According to him, “At the Senate, my colleagues and I have repeatedly raised these issues, even beyond the floor of the Senate. Hardly a week passes without a member of the Senate drawing attention to reports of killings and attacks on villages in one constituency or the other. Most recently, the Senate directed its leadership to interface with the President to dispatch a non-partisan team of experts and statesmen to Washington DC.”
He further stated that the failure of successive governments in Nigeria to prevent, arrest, or decisively punish perpetrators created room for several conspiracy theories, including allegations of state complicity under the administration of the late President Buhari.
He insisted that the late President Buhari’s policy of appointing mostly Muslims to head all the security services during his eight years in office further deepened these perceptions.
“As Nigerians, we must be honest with ourselves that the killings have gone on for too long and that government and security forces have been overwhelmed. We need help! No nation can confront terrorism in isolation. We must therefore work with our allies and partners to defeat this menace once and for all.
“It is on the strength of the foregoing that I strongly recommend that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should collaborate with President Donald Trump, the US Government, and other allies and friends of Nigeria to flush out these marauding terrorists. He should also improve relations with our neighbouring countries whose cooperation and support will be essential in the war against terrorism,” he added.
He therefore urged President Tinubu to appoint ambassadors to enable Nigeria to maximise its diplomatic resources and options.
Senator Dickson urges Nigeria, US partnership to defeat terrorism
