Ali Ndume, a former Senate leader and senator representing Borno South, has called on the federal government to extend ongoing joint military operations with the United States to Nigeria’s North-East, citing the continued threat posed by terrorist groups in the region.
Ndume made the appeal on Saturday, December 27, while commending recent airstrikes against cells of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The airstrikes were announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform, where he said the United States Department of War carried out what he described as “numerous precision strikes.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, later confirmed the operation, stating that it was conducted with Nigeria’s full cooperation, approval and intelligence support. He stressed that the action did not violate Nigeria’s sovereignty and was not targeted at any religious group.
Ndume, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, said expanding the joint operations to the North-East would significantly weaken the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram.
“We welcome this cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in targeting terrorist hideouts,” Ndume said. “I am calling on both governments to extend it to the North-East, where ISWAP and Boko Haram maintain three major strongholds—Lake Chad, the Mandara Mountains and the Sambisa Forest,” he added.
He further advocated deeper military collaboration between both countries, including enhanced training, intelligence sharing, logistics support and the deployment of attack helicopters to support Nigerian ground troops.
Ndume also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for allocating the highest budgetary provision to defence in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, while emphasising the need for accountability and transparency in the use of the funds.
Reacting to a recent suicide bomb attack at a mosque in Gamboru, Maiduguri, which killed five people and injured several others, the senator expressed condolences to the victims and their families.
“The attack in Gamboru is a stark reminder that terrorists have no regard for religion. In this case, all the victims were Muslims. This clearly shows that the narrative of a Christian genocide does not exist,” Ndume said.
“These terrorists are simply making life unbearable for our people, irrespective of faith.”
