Nigeria Must Unequivocally Reject Russia’s Toxic and Treacherous Advances
PRESS RELEASE
The Russian government’s purported promises of military support and weaponry to Nigeria are nothing more than a cynical ploy to expand its malign influence in Africa.
Russia’s track record speaks volumes; it is the primary architect of instability in West Africa today, actively sponsoring coups and undermining democratic order in neighboring nations like Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, and currently backing a milivilian government in Chad. Their gesture to offer security assistance to Nigeria is a grotesque irony, given that their protégés in these neighboring nations are grappling with greater insecurity than Nigeria currently faces.
To even consider Russia as a partner is a profound insult to the values Nigeria espouses: democracy, the rule of law, and absolute respect for human rights and freedoms. Russia, a nation under the brutal dictatorship of Vladimir Putin, has nothing of value to offer the largest democratic black nation on earth, Nigeria, where citizens rightfully enjoy freedoms in stark contrast to the oppressive yoke of tyranny and the constant threat of violence faced by Russian citizens.
*It is crucial now to recall Nigeria’s long and arduous struggle against terrorism, particularly the brutal campaigns waged by Boko Haram under Jonathan and its splinter groups thereafter.*
*_Our nation has endured immense bleeding and loss, marked by horrific events such as:_*
1) In September 2010, Boko Haram broke 105 of its members out of prison in Bauchi, along with over 600 other prisoners. By December 24, Boko Haram detonated four bombs in Jos and attacked two churches in Maiduguri. Again, on December 31, Boko Haram bombed a barracks in Abuja, killing four civilians.
2) In June 2011, there was a twin bombing at the Nigeria Police headquarters in Abuja. On August 26, Boko Haram conducted a vehicle bomb attack on the United Nations headquarters in Abuja, killing at least 23 people and injuring over 80.
3) In January 2012 alone, over 253 people were reportedly killed in 23 attacks. On April 26, a suicide bomber attacked the offices of ThisDay newspaper, The Sun, and The Moment newspapers in Kaduna.
4) In November 2013, multiple attacks on security forces, markets, and churches in Yobe and Borno states caused over 100 deaths.
5) In 2014, the Chibok kidnapping occurred, where over 200 schoolgirls were abducted.
6) In 2015, Boko Haram attacks in Borno State resulted in over 1,000 deaths in various incidents.
7) In 2016, suicide bombings in Maiduguri killed at least 30 people.
8) In 2017, several attacks in the northeast caused hundreds of civilian deaths, with significant incidents in Borno and Adamawa states.
9) In 2018, a resurgence of attacks, including a mass shooting in a church, killed 19 people.
10) In 2019, increased violence led to over 1,200 deaths attributed to Boko Haram and ISIS-WA.
11) In 2020, a notable attack in Borno resulted in the deaths of 81 soldiers during a military ambush.
12) In 2021, terrorists invaded the Nigerian Defence Academy, killing two soldiers and abducting one, while injuring many others. Then, under Buhari, kidnappings for ransom became prevalent, with hundreds of civilians taken, including students from schools.
13) In 2022, five hundred terrorists on motorcycles attacked Kuje Prison and freed 900 of their colleagues.
*So, where was Russia during these critical years when Nigeria desperately needed genuine support and international solidarity?*
Their conspicuous absence speaks volumes about their true priorities, and their sudden interest now that security is improving raises serious questions about their motives.
Undoubtedly, Russia’s belated offers of assistance coincide with their concerning expansion of influence in Nigeria’s immediate neighborhood through military takeovers.
Nigeria does not need the tainted assistance of a pariah state like Russia. Just as we must maintain our sovereignty and avoid undue influence from any external power, including the United States, which is far better than Russia in providing security intelligence, we must be particularly vigilant against the insidious advances of a regime as morally bankrupt and strategically self-serving as Russia. While both Russia and the United States operate with their own imperialistic agendas, Russia’s current actions bear the undeniable stain of genocide and anti-democratic forces.
Therefore, their involvement in our internal affairs today is deeply suspicious and likely driven by ulterior motives that have nothing to do with Nigeria’s genuine security needs. Their promises of security support ring hollow when viewed against their treacherous history, most notably their abandonment of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya. Russia offered Gaddafi security guarantees before Obama NATO intervention, yet their abstention at the UN Security Council paved the way for NATO intervention, plunging Libya into a state of ruin and ongoing ungovernability today, a mess that Russia is now reportedly exacerbating by backing anti-democratic rebel factions against the legitimate government of Libya.
Consequently, Nigeria must understand that Russia has nothing to teach the world about democracy. Putin has no business nor interest in the preservation of democracy or any democratic values. His security support would definitely come with a steep price: either the erosion of our sovereignty, the compromise of democratic principles as seen in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, or entanglement in their self-serving geopolitical machinations of countering Western influence.
We have a multitude of potential partners among democratic nations like Turkey, Japan, Germany, India, Italy, the UK, Canada, and even Egypt. If we must truly align with an anti-democratic country for security benefits, then China is far better than Russia, as China, despite being an anti-democratic country, can offer genuine collaboration built on mutual respect and shared values of development rather than a hidden agenda of military coups.
The Nigerian military must immediately and unequivocally sever any security ties with this pariah state.
*To consort with a regime that stands as the world’s foremost enemy of democracy is a profound betrayal of the Nigerian people, a dangerous threat to our nation’s integrity, and an unreasonable gamble with our nation’s democratic future. Nigeria must resolutely reject this toxic embrace of a genocidal regime with a proven track record of duplicity, a regime that stands as a primary adversary to democracy worldwide, and a nation with blatant disregard for international law and human rights can never genuinely help us.*
Issued By
*Hon. Amb. NIYI Adebayo Jnr*
baticonline@gmail.com
*On Behalf of the APC Coalition For National Interest (APC-CNI)*
04/ 29/ 2025
