‘The Coming Of American Troops Has Worsened Terrorist Situation’ – Ex-Minister, Dalung

A former Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has questioned the effectiveness of American troops in Nigeria, asserting that their presence has worsened security challenges.

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Naija News reports that Dalung, during an interview with RT, expressed scepticism about the role of the United States in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, particularly in the fight against insurgent groups such as Boko Haram.

According to Dalung, terrorists are more emboldened with the arrival of the American forces, stressing that no improvement has been noticed.

He said, “If the Americans are concerned and they want to intervene, and they are against the coming of the Americans, then it means they are responsible for what is happening to Nigerians.

“The coming of the Americans has even worsened the situation. The terrorists are more emboldened with the arrival of the Americans. They have been more assertive and they have also been more aggressive in terms of attacks.

 “So one will tend to want to want to wonder whether the coming of the Americans have added salt to injury. Because we have not had any efforts by the American troops.”

While expressing doubt about the effectiveness of the drones, Dalung questioned why the American troops could not detect the Boko Haram attack that killed a Commander.

He stressed, “The drone they have been flying, I don’t know where the drones exist. If the drones were effective, why could they not detect Boko Haram was moving to attack a military formation today in Maiduguri where they killed a Commander?

“Where were the drones, the terrorists move kinetically, that is, using motorcycle vehicles? If they had drones that the Americans brought, these drones did not see them.

“Could it be that these drones have been blinded from seeing the terrorists, so I think the issue of the presence of Americans in Nigeria has created more problems for the Nigerian security situation, compared to when they were not here, and I am confused as to what they are actually doing here.”