‘No nation can confront terrorism alone’: Dickson urges Tinubu-US collaboration

Seriake Dickson, senator representing Bayelsa west, says president Bola Tinubu should collaborate with the United States and other international allies to tackle terrorist groups operating in Nigeria.

In a statement on Wednesday, Dickson said Nigeria’s sovereignty must be upheld, but the scale of violence across the country shows that the nation “cannot confront terrorism alone”.

The senator’s advice comes after US president Donald Trump tagged Nigeria a “country of particular concern” over “attacks on Christians”.

The former governor of Bayelsa said jihadist groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, ISIS affiliates, and al-Qaeda-linked factions have carried out widespread killings for nearly 15 years, noting that “both Christians and Muslims have been victims”.

He cited the abductions of the Chibok and Dapchi schoolgirls and the attack on Buni Yadi school, noting that many abductees, including Leah Sharibu, remain missing.

Dickson said terrorist groups still hold territory in parts of Borno, Zamfara and Katsina states, where they “impose taxes and exert control outside the Nigerian constitution”.

“This is a direct affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and should not be tolerated any further,” he said.

The lawmaker added that insecurity has spread to Sokoto, Taraba, Niger, Plateau, Benue, and southern Kaduna.

Dickson said “inadequate response by successive governments has fuelled conspiracy theories, including allegations of state complicity” during the administration of the late former president Muhammadu Buhari.

He said Nigeria must seek external support to stop the killings.

“No nation can confront terrorism in isolation,” he said.

He advised Tinubu to “strengthen relations with the US, especially with Trump,” and to “work more closely with neighbouring countries”.

He also urged the federal government to “appoint ambassadors to improve diplomatic engagement”.