USA Africa Dialogue Series - Sokoto, Sovereignty, and the Perils of Silent Power

Sokoto, Sovereignty, and the Perils of Silent Power

A PPE lens on the U.S. strike in Nigeria

By John Onyeukwu 

The reported U.S. airstrikes on parts of Sokoto State mark a significant moment in Nigeria's security and foreign policy trajectory. Beyond the immediate question of whether militants were successfully degraded lies a more consequential inquiry: what does this episode reveal about power, legitimacy, and Nigeria's place in a shifting global order? Viewed through the lenses of *Politics, Power, and Ethics (PPE),* and situated within geopolitics, geo-economics, diplomacy, and security, the strikes raise issues that extend far beyond the battlefield.

 Politics and constitutional order: 

Politically, the strikes sit at an uncomfortable intersection of necessity and legitimacy. Nigeria faces genuine and evolving security threats in its northwest, and international cooperation is neither novel nor inherently problematic. Yet politics in a constitutional democracy is not only about outcomes; it is about process. When foreign kinetic force is exercised on national territory without visible legislative engagement or public legal clarification, politics becomes opaque. Even if executive consent was granted, silence from institutions that embody democratic oversight creates a governance gap. In such gaps, public trust erodes, not because citizens reject security cooperation, but because they are excluded from understanding its rules.

 Power and sovereignty: 

From a power perspective, sovereignty in the 21st century is not simply the absence of foreign boots or drones. It is the capacity to author, control, and account for the use of force within one's borders. The Sokoto strikes illustrate a subtle but important risk: when power is exercised effectively but quietly, authorship becomes blurred. Who ultimately commands? Who owns the strategy? Who answers for consequences? Power exercised without visible ownership may deliver tactical gains, but it weakens strategic authority. Over time, this can reposition a state from security actor to security theatre—particularly damaging for Nigeria, long a normative leader in African security diplomacy.

 Ethics and civilian trust:

Ethically, the central question is not only civilian casualties, but civilian confidence. Reports suggest no confirmed civilian deaths, which is welcome. But ethics in counter-terrorism extend beyond body counts. Communities that experience unexplained explosions, shaken homes, and glowing skies without explanation experience fear, not reassurance. Ethical security policy demands transparency, civilian-harm mitigation, and accessible channels for grievance and redress. Where foreign forces are involved, these obligations intensify, because accountability pathways are less obvious. An ethical deficit today becomes a security liability tomorrow, as mistrust undermines intelligence cooperation and social cohesion.

 

Geopolitics: Nigeria in a contested order: 

Geopolitically, the strikes must be read against a backdrop of intensifying great-power competition and renewed U.S. security assertiveness. Washington's willingness to project force in West Africa signals concern about jihadist spillover, but it also reflects a global posture in which counter-terrorism, narrative politics, and domestic signaling intersect. For Nigeria, alignment without articulation is risky. How Nigeria manages this episode will shape perceptions among regional partners, global actors, and non-state groups alike. Ambiguity invites interpretation, and in geopolitics, others rarely interpret in your favour.

Geo-economics and investment confidence:

Security and economics are inseparable. Nigeria's northwest is not only a conflict zone; it is part of a wider economic geography shaped by agriculture, trade corridors, and rural livelihoods. Persistent insecurity already raises transaction costs, discourages investment, and deepens poverty. While decisive action against armed groups can, in theory, improve economic prospects, unstructured foreign intervention can have the opposite effect, signaling fragility and institutional weakness. Investors price not just risk, but governance quality. Clarity strengthens confidence; ambiguity repels capital.

 Diplomacy and narrative control:

Diplomatically, Nigeria's challenge is narrative ownership. Statements framing the strikes in narrowly religious terms, for instance, risk mischaracterizing Nigeria's complex security reality and inflaming sensitive identity dynamics. Nigeria's diplomats and institutions must assert a clear, nationally grounded narrative: this was about security threats, under Nigerian authority, within Nigeria's constitutional framework. Diplomacy fails when a country allows others to define the meaning of force used on its soil.

 Security: tactics versus strategy:

Finally, from a security standpoint, the distinction between tactical success and strategic effectiveness is crucial. External airstrikes may disrupt specific targets, but sustainable security depends on nationally owned intelligence cycles, command structures, and institutional learning. When foreign capabilities substitute rather than reinforce domestic systems, dependency risks emerge. Security partnerships should build sovereignty, not quietly hollow it out.

 Conclusion:

The Sokoto strikes are not merely a counter-terrorism episode; they are a governance test. Nigeria does not face a choice between cooperation and sovereignty, or between security and democracy. The real choice is between power exercised silently and power disciplined by law, oversight, and communication. History shows that only the latter delivers legitimacy, endurance, and peace.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sokoto-sovereignty-perils-silent-power-john-onyeukwu-tbvbe

John Onyeukwu
http://www.policy.hu/onyeukwu/

 http://about.me/onyeukwu
"Let us move forward to fight poverty, to establish equity, and assure peace for the next generation."
-- James D. Wolfensohn
This message contains information which may be confidential and privileged. Unless you are the addressee (or authorized to receive for the addressee), you may not use, copy or disclose to anyone the message or any information contained in the message. If you have received the message in error, please advise the sender by reply e-mail, and delete or destroy the message. Thank you.

--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/usaafricadialogue/CABsbg_%2Bu0Aet1a983Xjtgtvmnto%2Bz%3DNAn-SCxGuO_qJjKdQxGw%40mail.gmail.com.