Our Correspondent | Politics
In a fresh push to tackle Nigeria’s spiralling insecurity, President Bola Tinubu and President of France, Emmanuel Macron, held a phone conversation on Sunday, during which Macron pledged strengthened French support for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and banditry — especially in the troubled northern regions.
Macron, in a post on X, said he had conveyed “France’s solidarity in the face of the various security challenges, particularly the terrorist threat in the North.” He added that, at Tinubu’s request, Paris would deepen cooperation with Nigerian authorities and provide support for populations affected by violence — appealing for global partners to join the effort (“No one can remain a spectator”).
Meanwhile, in Nigeria’s capital, Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), hosted a visiting United States congressional delegation on what the US described as a “fact-finding mission.” The visit — which included the US Ambassador to Nigeria — follows earlier high-level talks in Washington, DC, focusing on mutual security priorities.
According to Ribadu, discussions centred on enhancing counter-terrorism cooperation, regional stability, and strengthening the Nigeria–US strategic security partnership. The meeting underscores renewed diplomatic engagement between Abuja and Washington in the wake of rising international concern over abductions and attacks on schools, churches and communities across Nigeria.
The developments come amid a broader international spotlight on Nigeria’s security crisis — including allegations of religiously-motivated violence against Christians and warnings from US authorities about potential intervention. The Nigerian government has consistently rejected claims of targeted persecution, arguing that insecurity affects people of all faiths.
The move comes as northern and north-central Nigeria have seen a sharp increase in gun attacks, mass kidnappings (notably of schoolchildren), and raids on communities and places of worship.
Earlier this month, the government reportedly secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic School, Papiri, in Niger State — one of the largest kidnappings in recent memory.
Meanwhile, the government under Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency on 26 November, ordering security agencies to expand their forces and prioritise protection for schools, farms and places of worship.
Diplomatic Pressure, Religious Freedom Dispute
The US delegation’s visit follows recent moves by Washington to redesignate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged violations of religious freedom and threats to Christians — allegations the Nigerian government denies.
The government maintains that violence in Nigeria is driven not by religious persecution but by complex factors including terrorism, banditry, resource crime, environmental stress and governance failures.
Religious leaders and analysts warn that conflating insecurity with religious persecution could inflame tensions and undermine efforts to build broad-based security responses.
What Must Change
Prominent voices at home argue that symbolic gestures or international condemnation are no longer sufficient. Gbenga Hashim — a former presidential aspirant — described the appointment of Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.) as Defence Minister as “a crucial opportunity that must deliver practical and immediate results.” He urged the government to implement concrete security policies, including establishing local-level police forces.
Meanwhile, academics such as Prof. Abubakar Siddique have warned that rising poverty, mass unemployment among youth, climate-driven land loss, and institutional collapse in the North risk trapping the region — and by extension the country — in a “poverty–insecurity trap.” Unless structural reforms, economic investments and security sector overhaul are rolled out, the violence may spiral further.
Global Concern
France’s renewed willingness to support Nigeria — even largely in intelligence sharing and training, rather than boots on the ground — signals recognition by global powers that Nigeria’s security crisis is not just a local affair, but a regional concern.
However, experts warn that external support must be paired with honest internal reforms: tackling abuses and impunity, strengthening community policing, revamping national security architecture and investing in socio-economic development to reduce the drivers of violence.