Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has expressed strong support for the joint airstrikes carried out by Nigerian and United States military forces on an ISIS terrorist hideout in North-West Nigeria in the early hours of Friday.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by its National Organising Secretary, Abagun Kole Omololu, Afenifere gave unequivocal backing to the operation, describing it as a decisive and necessary response to years of persistent insecurity.
The group said decades of ineffective governance had allowed insurgent groups to flourish, leading to the killing, abduction and displacement of innocent Nigerians across affected regions.
Afenifere noted that the confirmation by the Defence Headquarters that the operation was conducted with the approval of relevant Federal Government authorities was both timely and reassuring.
According to the organisation, the involvement of the United States in Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts should be acknowledged rather than criticised, given the scale of the security challenges confronting the country.
It argued that the prolonged failure to dismantle terrorist enclaves had created a vacuum that necessitated the support of capable international partners who recognise the urgency of the situation.
The group stressed that national sovereignty should be judged by a government’s ability to protect its citizens, enforce the rule of law and secure national borders, rather than by political rhetoric.
Afenifere said the lives of Nigerians and the maintenance of peace must take priority over political sentiments or populist criticism, adding that the swift and coordinated military action demonstrated the Federal Government’s resolve to restore safety and stability.
The organisation urged citizens, political leaders and civil society groups to avoid undermining ongoing security efforts with what it described as misplaced criticism, calling instead for unity, support and constructive collaboration to defeat terrorism.
It commended the courage and professionalism of both Nigerian and United States forces involved in the operation and reaffirmed its support for all lawful measures, whether domestic or joint, aimed at ensuring that Nigerians can live in peace and security, free from the threat of terrorism.
