Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s threats of military action in Nigeria, arguing that they are motivated by a desire to expand US military presence in Africa. Falana also criticised the Tinubu administration’s handling of insecurity, warning that a US strike would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has strongly criticized US President Donald Trump’s threats to wage war against terrorists in Nigeria, stating “according to GUARDIAN reporting” that the move is driven by the US’s desire to expand its military presence in Africa.
Speaking on Channels Television, Falana hinged his submission on the United States’ (US) past roles in global conflicts, asserting that the US has never aided a country in conflict. His comments follow recent claims by President Trump that Christians in Nigeria face an existential threat due to mass killings.
Falana dismissed the threat as another example of America’s “failed record of foreign intervention,” adding that it is “shameful that Nigeria has descended to a point where foreign powers could issue such threats.” He warned that any external strike planned by the US would be “fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs who attack our cherished Christians” if the Bola Tinubu-led administration continues to “handle terrorism and banditry with kid gloves.”
The SAN stressed America’s history in conflict zones, stating: “The United States of America has never been a saviour of a country in times of violence. Talking of Iraq, they went for weapons of mass destruction… Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, wherever the United States has ever gone in any of those countries.”
The development comes after the US State Department on Monday officially updated Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for alleged severe violations of religious freedom. Falana warned that any war in Nigeria would be complex, unlike the war in Iraq, due to the widespread nature of the security challenges.