Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Rafsanjani, has alleged that the airstrikes by the United States against terrorist targets in Nigeria were carried out without notifying or seeking clearance from the federal government.
Speaking on Arise Television on Friday, Rafsanjani accused the federal government of “face-saving” and attempting to manage public perception instead of taking a firm diplomatic stance.
“The American government did not get any approval for it to take any action in Nigeria. What the Nigerian government has done is face-saving,” he declared.
Rafsanjani argued that Washington acted independently, adding that comments made by the US President Donald Trump while announcing the strikes were proof that American forces did not consider approval from the federal government necessary.
“America does not need Nigeria’s approval to carry out their action. It’s clear even in the way and manner in which Trump made his announcement,” he said.
The CISLAC boss linked the situation to what he described as Nigeria’s outdated foreign policy and poor communication strategy on security matters, insisting that the development exposed deeper governance failures.
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“This incident is a pointer to the fact that the country is failing in its constitutional obligation. The mandate to protect lives and property has been failed,” Rafsanjani said.
He stressed that Nigeria’s diminishing leverage on the global stage was evident in the manner foreign powers engage the country, calling for an urgent overhaul of both security and foreign policy frameworks.
Rafsanjani also dismissed narratives suggesting that the attacks point to a religious conflict between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria, describing such claims as dangerous and misleading.
“This attack promoted misleading information that the country is in a religious war. That is not the case. Terrorists are terrorising Nigerians irrespective of religion or geographical location,” he warned.
Rafsanjani urged the federal government to take decisive steps to defend national sovereignty, restore public confidence and ensure Nigeria speaks “with clarity and authority” in its international engagements.
