Former Sokoto State Governor and senator representing Sokoto South Senatorial District, Aminu Tambuwal, on Sunday visited Jabo District in Sokoto State to give moral support to the residents following air strikes conducted by the United States forces between the night of December 25 and the early hours of December 26 on terrorists enclave in the area.
Tambuwal, during the visit, urged the residents to remain calm and continue to support security agencies following recent military operations targeting terrorist elements in the area.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, the former governor sympathised with residents affected by the operation and prayed that such occurrences would not be repeated.
“Whenever incidents like this happen, people naturally become worried and concerned,” Tambuwal said. “What is important is that leaders are on ground to assess the situation, reassure the people and ensure that peace is maintained.”
He commended community leaders and residents for their calm conduct, noting that their response helped to prevent panic and escalation of tension in the area.
Tambuwal stressed that terrorism should not be viewed through ethnic or religious lenses, describing it as a collective threat to society.
“Terrorism and terrorists are nobody’s friends. This is not a religious war or an ethnic war. It is a war of all people of goodwill against people of evil,” he said.
“We must not tolerate it in any form.”
The senator urged residents to continue cooperating with security agencies and government authorities, noting that peace and security were essential for economic activities and freedom of worship to thrive.
“It is only in a secure environment that people can go about their daily businesses and practise their faith freely,” he added.
Responding, the District Head of Jabo community, Alhaji Aliyu Graba, thanked Tambuwal for identifying with the people during what he described as a difficult moment.
He also commended the Federal Government and security agencies for their swift response to the situation, describing it as reassuring to residents.
Alhaji Graba reaffirmed the community’s commitment to peace and cooperation with authorities to ensure lasting security in the area.
Meanwhile, former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has criticised the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government over the recent United States airstrikes on Islamic State enclaves in Nigeria, describing the development as further evidence of deep-rooted security failures under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Olawepo-Hashim also cited the mysterious explosion in Offa, Kwara State, as another indication of Nigeria’s fragile internal security and intelligence coordination.
In a statement issued on Sunday and made available to The PUNCH in Ilorin, the former presidential hopeful said the US military action, reportedly carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities against IS-linked elements operating in parts of the North-West, underscored growing international anxiety over Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
According to him, Nigeria’s increasing reliance on external military intervention amounted to a “damning indictment” of the APC government, noting that the country’s internal security architecture remained weak and ineffective.
He said responsible global actors could not afford to ignore the emergence of an Islamic State foothold in Nigeria, describing the country as “too large, too strategic, and too important to be allowed to fail.”
Olawepo-Hashim disclosed that since 2021, and with greater urgency in the past year, his team had consistently warned that security modelling in the North-West pointed towards a dangerous trajectory, including the possible emergence of an IS-aligned enclave if decisive action was not taken.
He linked the deteriorating security situation to deepening poverty, prolonged governance failures and weakened institutions, which he said had emboldened extremist groups while shrinking the space for moderate political and secular voices.
“More worrying is the elevation of individuals who enable or rationalise extremism into positions of political influence, creating conditions under which terror groups can aspire to territorial control,” he said.
The former presidential candidate warned that while foreign airstrikes could temporarily degrade terrorist capabilities, sustainable peace could only be achieved through internal reforms.
He cautioned that repeated external military interventions, if not properly managed, could raise serious sovereignty and accountability concerns, stressing that any security cooperation with foreign partners must be governed by clear frameworks, transparency and strict oversight.
“The situation in the North-West is dire. Without urgent internal reforms, improved governance and decisive political leadership, external military interventions will not produce sustainable results,” he said.
Olawepo-Hashim further questioned the preparedness of the APC-led Federal Government to implement the far-reaching reforms required to stabilise the country, arguing that Nigeria continued to face fundamental governance and security deficits capable of undermining its democratic future.
He also alleged that unresolved political compromises dating back to the 2015 struggle for power had weakened the government’s resolve to confront extremist elements decisively.
Warning that Nigeria could no longer afford denial or half-measures in the face of what he described as an existential threat, Olawepo-Hashim called for courageous leadership to halt the country’s slide into deeper insecurity.