Former lawmaker Kabiru Marafa has voiced support for United States President Donald Trump’s recent threat of potential military intervention in Nigeria, arguing that the warning could compel authorities to take tougher action against insecurity.
Marafa, who represented Zamfara Central in the Senate from 2011 to 2019, made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“I strongly support the President of America, Donald Trump, for issuing that threat,” he said, insisting that he disagreed with Nigerians who criticised the former U.S. leader’s comments on the grounds of national sovereignty.
“I differ with a lot of Nigerians because most of them look at it from the perspective of sovereignty and patriotism, which I also subscribe to. But of what importance is sovereignty to a dead man?” he asked.
The former senator said Trump’s statements had once again drawn global attention to Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly attacks on Christian communities.
Trump had, last month, directed the Pentagon to begin preparing plans for possible action in Nigeria, accusing the Nigerian government of failing to stop what he described as the persecution of Christians.
In a social media post, Trump warned that the U.S. would cut all aid to Nigeria if the killings persisted, adding that Washington “may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
He claimed to have instructed the “Department of War” to prepare for potential strikes, saying any attack “will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.”
Marafa maintained that while national sovereignty is important, the protection of human life should be the government’s primary responsibility. He added that Trump’s posture had increased pressure on Nigerian authorities to respond more decisively.
Meanwhile, the United States recently designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged violations of religious freedom and the persecution of Christians.
The Nation
