Global Cooperation, Not Isolation, Key to Nigeria’s Security, Says Jimoh Ibrahim

Wale Igbintade

The Senator representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim, has stated that no nation in the contemporary international system enjoys absolute sovereignty.

This is as he insisted that global security realities compel states to embrace cooperation and collective action.

On Christmas Day, the United States military, in collaboration with the federal government, conducted coordinated airstrikes targeting terrorist bases in Sokoto State, an operation the Nigerian government said did not violate the country’s sovereignty.

Ibrahim, who is also a scholar of Modern War Studies and an Ambassador-designate, while defending President Bola Tinubu’s approach to tackling Nigeria’s insecurity through international collaboration, described such engagement as consistent with global democratic practice rather than a surrender of national independence.

The senator disclosed this in a press statement issued at Igbotako, Okitipupa Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo State yesterday.

Drawing parallels with the United States’ response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Ibrahim recalled that America, despite its military and economic dominance, received extensive support from allies including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, and New Zealand.

He said, “This historical example clearly demonstrates that sovereignty in the modern world is not absolute.

“Even the most powerful nation required collective support to restore security after 9/11.”

He explained that the multinational effort, carried out under Operation Enduring Freedom, involved the deployment of military assets, troops, aircraft, intelligence sharing, and naval capabilities to dismantle terrorist networks.

Ibrahim argued that Tinubu’s strategy of cooperation and collaboration in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges aligns with the liberal democratic order, where nations work together to confront transnational threats such as terrorism, cybercrime, and pandemics.

He dismissed claims that international security partnerships undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty, stressing that cooperation strengthens, rather than weakens a nation’s capacity to protect its citizens.

“Insecurity today is borderless. Terrorist networks, cyber intrusions and even pandemics do not respect national boundaries.

“If absolute sovereignty were possible, countries would be able to block threats like global cyber communications or prevent diseases such as COVID-19 from entering their borders. Reality has shown otherwise,” he stated.

He urged critics to allow the Tinubu’s administration the necessary diplomatic and strategic space to confront insecurity, maintaining that collective security remains the most effective path to peace in an increasingly interconnected world.

“Sovereignty in this era is preserved through strategic alliances and shared responsibility,” Ibrahim concluded.