The Christmas Day U.S. airstrike in Sokoto has reopened debate over sovereignty and constitutional oversight, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio blocking open discussion in favour of closed-door briefings as Senator Abdul Ningi warned of threats to legislative authority.
Raising the matter under Order 9 of the Senate Standing Orders, Ningi said the United States strike against bandits inside Nigeria goes beyond counterterrorism, insisting that it touches the “very soul of the Nigerian state”.
“The most fundamental issue is that the sovereignty of our country has been violated. Our skies have been violated, and that should never be normalised or rationalised,” he told journalists after plenary.
The lawmaker stressed that his intervention was not driven by sympathy for terrorists or criminal groups.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I hate these bandits, and I want them dealt with wherever they are found,” he said. “But two wrongs don’t make a right.”
According to him, neither the President nor any arm of government has the constitutional authority to permit foreign powers to conduct military strikes within Nigeria without legislative involvement.
“The Constitution places on the President the responsibility to protect our territorial integrity. But even the President, under this Constitution, cannot — and I repeat — shall not — direct a foreign power to hit Nigeria from their bases,” he said.
Describing Nigeria as a sovereign nation, Ningi added, “We are not a colony of the United States of America. We are Nigeria — an independent country with defined territory.”
He expressed concern that the National Assembly was neither briefed before nor after the reported operation, despite being a co-equal arm of government.
“This is co-governance, co-responsibility, and co-accountability. Democracy exists because of the National Assembly. If such a serious security decision is taken and the legislature is ignored, then something is fundamentally wrong,” he said.
The senator warned that accepting such actions without objection could expose Nigeria to future violations by other global powers.
“What happens tomorrow if Nigeria takes a stand against the interests of the United States, Russia, China, or France, and they decide to hit us? We have opened a very dangerous precedent,” he said.
Citing international law, Ningi said the alleged strike also raises concerns under global conventions.
“You can read the United Nations Charter. No country is allowed to breach the airspace of another sovereign nation without due process. The way and manner this was done is a clear breach,” he said.
However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, clearly mindful of the security sensitivity of the issue, cautioned lawmakers against turning the chamber into a public arena for classified matters, stressing that national security could not be discussed openly.
“Because it is a matter of security, we really should not discuss it in the open,” Akpabio said. “We should have a closed session so that we will be well briefed.”
Akpabio said the leadership had already received briefings on the incident.
According to him, the operation was conducted with the knowledge and concurrence of Nigerian security services, a point he said had been mischaracterised in public discourse.
As the debate escalated, Akpabio drew a clear procedural line, reminding senators that Ningi had raised a matter of privilege, not a motion for general debate, and therefore did not warrant contributions from other lawmakers.
“I don’t want anybody to contribute. You are debating your issue. No contribution is required,” he ruled.
After reviewing the constitutional provisions cited, the Senate President said the leadership had concluded that no legislative privilege had been breached, even as he acknowledged the seriousness of the concerns raised.
“I have read the section, I understand it, and I was about to let you know that your privilege has not yet been breached,” Akpabio said.
He explained that the Senate’s inability to immediately convene a closed session was due to time constraints arising from the chamber’s first sitting, which had been overshadowed by the death of a serving senator.
Despite this, Akpabio assured lawmakers that a comprehensive briefing would be held at the appropriate time, stressing the need for discretion over public confrontation.
“Security is not something we speak about in the market,” he said, urging senators to allow the leadership to handle the matter responsibly.
NINGI told reporters that he supports international cooperation but only within constitutional and legal limits.
“I also commend collaboration,” he said. “But collaboration must follow due process. It must take place inside Nigeria, with Nigerian forces fully involved.”
He cautioned that bypassing transparency sends a troubling message to citizens.
“If you don’t inform Nigerians and their representatives, you are telling them this is normal. You are questioning the capacity of our armed forces and creating mistrust in government,” he said.
Rejecting suggestions that his stance undermines the fight against insecurity, the senator shared a personal account.
“I am a victim of Boko Haram. My maternal uncle, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, was killed on his farm in Kano three months after retirement,” he said. “Nobody is responsible for his family today. So I have no sympathy for these bandits — anywhere they are.”
He added that his legislative record reflects consistent advocacy against violence across the country, including attacks in Plateau, Kaduna and Makurdi.
On the way forward, Ningi urged the Senate to assert its constitutional role.
“The Senate President must be briefed on all security arrangements,” he said. “When I was House Leader between 2003 and 2007, the National Security Adviser briefed the Speaker weekly. Did we have insecurity then at this scale? No.”
He said the legislature controls security funding and should not be treated as an afterthought.
“We approve the funds. We are accountable to our constituents who are being killed daily. If the executive refuses to talk, who should talk if not us?” he asked.
While acknowledging the pressure on the President, Ningi maintained that leadership must remain firm and constitutional.
“I truly sympathise with him. But he is the President, and he must govern this country. We must not allow others to govern Nigeria for him,” he Nigeria
Daily Trust