The Peoples Democratic Party has criticised the Federal Government over what it described as poor and inverted communication following a reported United States military strike on terrorist assets in Nigeria.
In a press statement issued on Friday by and signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the opposition party said Nigerians first learned about the American operation through verified social media accounts of US President Donald Trump and other US officials, long before Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement.
According to the PDP, the eventual response from the ministry was vague and merely offered a passive confirmation of the Nigerian government’s awareness and cooperation, several hours after the information was already in the public domain.
While acknowledging the importance of international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, the party expressed concern that foreign governments were announcing security operations on Nigerian soil ahead of the country’s own authorities.
“This inverted communication approach does not help the Federal Government or Nigerians in any way,” the statement said, noting reports of previous instances in which US forces allegedly operated in Nigeria without the knowledge or approval of the government.
The PDP argued that the Federal Government should have been the first to inform Nigerians about the strike in order to properly sensitize the public, rather than reacting to information already circulating widely.
It added that failure to do so raised questions about whether the government itself was taken by surprise.
The party further called on the Federal Government to ensure that any defence agreement with the United States prioritises joint operations, knowledge sharing, and capacity building for Nigerian security forces.
According to the PDP, such collaboration would help Nigeria combat insecurity more sustainably, instead of relying on what it described as fully externally led “precision attacks.”
