Former Governor Seriake Dickson has called on President Bola Tinubu to seek President Donald Trump’s help to eliminate killer herdsmen, terrorists, and bandits terrorising innocent civilians in Nigeria.

He said this in a statement on Thursday. Mr Dickson, ex-Bayelsa governor, decried the endless killing of innocent people by jihadist terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and affiliates of ISWAP, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and advocated collaborative solutions to address the menace.

“The failure of successive governments in Nigeria to prevent, arrest, or punish perpetrators decisively created room for several conspiracy theories, including state complicity under late President Buhari’s administration — a concern once raised by no less a person than General T. Y. Danjuma, a former Chief of Army Staff and former Minister of Defence, in reaction to the slaughter and unrestrained killings in his home state of Taraba during the Buhari administration. Late President Buhari’s policy of appointing mostly Muslims to head all the security services during his eight years in office further worsened these perceptions.

“As Nigerians, we must be honest with ourselves that the killings have gone on for too long and government and security forces have been overwhelmed. We need help! No nation can confront terrorism in isolation. We must therefore work with our allies and partners to defeat this menace once and for all.

“It is on the strength of the foregoing that I strongly recommend that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should collaborate with President Donald Trump, the U.S. government, and other allies and friends of Nigeria to flush out these marauding terrorists. He should also improve relations with our neighbouring countries, whose cooperation and support will be essential in the war against terrorism,” Mr Dickson said.

According to him, the widespread violent killings in the country are an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and should not be tolerated any further.

“President Trump’s statement is a wake-up call to action. If the Nigerian government is unable to address this issue effectively, then it must collaborate with those who can help us flush out these terrorists,” noted the former governor.

Mr Dickson’s statement came after Mr Trump re-designated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ and threatened to invade the country over alleged Christian genocide.

While emphasising respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the lawmaker said he fully “supports any collaborative action aimed at eradicating the murderous bands of terrorists who have wantonly slaughtered thousands of our countrymen and women — Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths alike”.

Mr Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West in the Senate, said, “Hardly a week passes without a member of the Senate drawing attention to reports of killings and attacks on villages in one constituency or the other. The Senate has paid countless tributes in memory of those killed, as well as several suggestions and proposals to the Executive, including the proposal for a National Security Summit to be held soon. Most recently, the Senate took a motion and directed its leadership to interface with the president to dispatch a non-partisan team of experts and statesmen to Washington D.C.”