Tijjani Usman MuhammadRetired Lt-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, former Chief of Army Staff and former Minister of Interior, has suggested that the United States may be positioning itself to establish a military base in Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja at the 7th Annual Lecture of the Just Friends Club of Nigeria, he noted that while the U.S. once operated bases in the Niger Republic for more than ten years, this presence did not curb the rise of insecurity there.
Dambazau commented:
“In the more than ten years of US presence in Niger, where it maintained two military bases, what did the US do to prevent the growth of security challenges?”
He added that Nigeria, known for protecting its own interests sometimes by force, might be the next target for such foreign military positioning—and that there were willing partners inside the country.
Dambazau emphasised that the insurgency and terrorism Nigeria faces are part of broader regional challenges, especially across the Sahel and the Lake-Chad Basin, rather than being attacks on a single religious group. He pointed out that both Muslims and Christians have been victims of violence in Nigeria.
He urged national unity in tackling insecurity and warned against letting external actors exploit Nigeria’s internal divisions.
