Insurgency: Experts, Diaspora Community React To FG's Termination Of US Military Training

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Reacting to the termination of the US military trainings by the federal government, the Nigeria’s Consul-General in New York, Ambassador Habib Habu OON, said he totally supported the federal government’s decision. 

Amb. Habu said, “Immediately after the abduction of the Chibok girls, the U.S. offered to assist Nigeria through Intelligence gathering but on arrival informed Nigeria that the Leahy Amendment forbids them to share the information they gathered due to the allegations of Human Rights violation by the Nigerian Military and Police. Does the U.S. care about the innocent Nigerians being slaughtered daily by the Boko Haram?”

“Does Boko Haram care about Human Rights? Even though Boko Haram had been hiding under the guise of Islam, they have never considered implementing the very comprehensive Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam as a reason to sanctify human life and property. I have stated this before and, I want to repeat it here that, there is absolutely nothing in Boko Haram that resemble Islam.”

“How are we sure that when the Battalion arrives in Nigeria a new Law will not be quoted as the reason for not assisting us? The statement of General Yakubu Gowon on US refusal to sell weapons to him during the Civil War is most instructive”

Also reacting, the Chairman of the Board of the Nigerians in the diaspora Organization (NIDO), Chief Gabe Ogoye, said he believed that the termination may be an outfall of the US refusal to sale some military helicopters to Nigeria.

“The US had in the past sold such machinery to groups who were worse off than Nigeria, so if they were genuinely interested in helping Nigeria stem the Boko Haram menace, why did they stop the sale of those helicopters?” he asked.

Meanwhile, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell said Nigeria’s move to cut the training short was baffling. He added that the move was puzzling, given the Nigerian military’s struggles to defeat the terrorist groups, which had taken control of parts of the country’s Northeast.

“What on earth were the Nigerians thinking of to simply cancel a training program. And to me that is a complete mystery, because I do not see how it advances their own interests in any way,” he said.

The acting defence and army attaché at the US Embassy in Abuja, Lieutenant Colonel John Cantwell, told the Voice of America (VOA) he was not clear why the Nigerians decided to stop the training.

“No, we did not receive any specific reason as to why they wanted to cancel the training. But their notification was in response to a request that we had sent to them requesting their intention regarding moving forward with the third phase of training,” he said.

However, the Nigeria military spokesman, Major General Chris Olukolade, who declined to be interviewed, said in a text message that the cancellation is a “purely strategic action,” and did not explain further.

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