A former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has described the recent United States precision drone strikes against terrorist elements in Nigeria’s North-West as a deliberate and strategic signal to armed groups, rather than an isolated military operation.
Amachree made the remarks on Wednesday while speaking on Television , where he said the strikes were intended to send a strong message to terrorists and their collaborators that sustained international military pressure lies ahead.
According to him, the operation should be seen as a clear warning that terrorist activities in the region will continue to attract decisive responses, stressing that insecurity must be addressed realistically rather than politicised.
“The message is unmistakable. This is a warning shot to terrorists and those backing them. It shows that more coordinated military actions will likely follow,” Amachree said, adding that Nigeria can no longer afford to downplay the security crisis by framing it in political terms.
He explained that the strikes were carried out using advanced MQ-9 Reaper Predator drones armed with precision-guided missiles, noting that the sophistication and cost of such equipment ruled out any notion of a casual or symbolic operation.
Amachree pointed out that each Reaper drone costs tens of millions of dollars, while the missiles deployed are valued at several million dollars each, underscoring that the United States would not commit such resources without a clear strategic objective.
His comments followed confirmation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, that Nigeria formally requested and supported the US airstrikes, which reportedly neutralised several terrorists in parts of Sokoto State. The United States had earlier acknowledged conducting the strikes in the North-West last Thursday.
Tuggar, who also spoke on Sunrise Daily on Friday, said the operation reflected deepening cooperation between Nigeria and its international partners in the fight against terrorism. He noted that the federal government remains open to global partnerships aimed at ending violent extremism and protecting civilians.
The minister revealed that Nigerian security agencies provided the intelligence that led to the operation and that the strike was carried out with the approval of President Bola Tinubu after consultations with US officials.
He added that the president gave the green light on the condition that the operation be clearly identified as a joint effort and not framed in a way that could be misinterpreted as targeting any religious group.
The drone strikes are being viewed as a significant development in Nigeria’s counterterrorism campaign, highlighting increased international collaboration to curb violence and restore security in the North-West.
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