By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
A formidable alliance of Nigeria’s leading civil society organisations has issued a scathing indictment of President Bola Tinubu’s government, expressing “grave concern and deep alarm” over a US military airstrike on Nigerian territory on Christmas Day and the subsequent “troubling silence” of the nation’s leadership.
The statement, titled “Where is the President?” and signed by groups including Amnesty International Nigeria, BudgIT, and the Centre for Social Justice, alongside prominent figures like lawyer Chidi Odinkalu, condemns what it calls a “dual crisis of leadership and security.”
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It argues the President has “ceded sovereign authority” and abandoned his constitutional role.
The coalition’s central charge is that by “inviting a foreign government to manage what is fundamentally an internal security challenge,” President Tinubu acted in a manner that “undermines Nigeria’s constitutional order.”
The groups state this is compounded by a deafening silence from the highest offices.
“Even more disturbing is that during and after the operation, the President, the Service Chiefs, and the leadership of the National Assembly were either on vacation or completely silent,” the statement reads, leaving the Foreign Minister to “publicly rationalize decisions that strike at the core of national sovereignty.”
The press release highlights a “severe deficit of information” surrounding the strike, noting Nigerians have not been told the legal basis, rules of engagement, or safeguards for civilians.
“This opacity fuels mistrust and undermines public confidence in government at a time when trust is already dangerously low,” it warns.
Citing Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution, which mandates that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government,” the coalition asserts this “social contract” has been broken.
They report that, with no confirmation of militant casualties, there are instead accounts of munitions debris landing on farmlands in Sokoto State and near a hotel in Kwara State, raising urgent questions about civilian safety.
“The absence of such frameworks in this operation constitutes a serious governance failure,” the groups state, referring to protocols for civilian protection and redress.
In a stark ultimatum, the coalition concludes that if the President and security chiefs “have concluded that they lack the capacity or will to manage Nigeria’s internal security challenges… and would rather cede such authority to a foreign power, then constitutional responsibility and democratic integrity demand that they resign.”
The statement ends with a firm demand: “Nigerians deserve accountable leadership and security rooted in sovereignty, the rule of law, and respect for human life.”
There has been no immediate response from the Presidency or the Nigerian Armed Forces to the damning collective statement.
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