Aisha Yesufu Slams Nigerian Senate Over Military Deployment to Benin

Lagos – Human rights activist and co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, Aisha Yesufu, has strongly criticised the Nigerian Senate, accusing lawmakers of bowing to President Bola Tinubu following the upper chamber’s swift approval of a request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin.

In a public statement on Tuesday, Yesufu declared, “SHAME ON THE SENATE!”, saying the lawmakers had reduced a once-revered institution to “a chamber stripped of dignity and constitutional purpose.”

According to Yesufu, the Senate’s hasty approval of the deployment — without rigorous debate, interrogation, or assessment — undermines the constitutional powers vested in the National Assembly.

“An institution that should be the voice of the people and the guardian of the Nation has reduced itself to self-enslavement. A hallowed chamber has become unconsecrated,” she said.

She warned that the decision was especially reckless given Nigeria’s ongoing insecurity, economic hardship, and the overstretching of its military:

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“Committing our overstretched troops to foreign interventions risks their lives, drains scarce resources that could be invested in domestic priorities like healthcare, education, and infrastructure, and potentially entangles Nigeria in regional conflicts that do not directly serve our interests.”

Yesufu also highlighted the plight of Nigerian soldiers, pointing to poor welfare, inadequate equipment, and neglected complaints, questioning how the government could justify sending troops abroad under such conditions:

“How can we justify sending our forces abroad when our own borders remain porous, and our people live in fear? When our soldiers have been complaining bitterly of their welfare not being taken care of and nothing done about it?”

She further criticised the Senate for abandoning its constitutional oversight role, warning that such actions weaken democratic institutions and set a dangerous precedent for executive overreach:

“By failing to demand transparency, evidence, or accountability, they have abdicated their constitutional role, eroding the separation of powers that safeguards our freedoms. A compliant legislature invites authoritarianism, silences dissent, and betrays the democratic ideals we fought so hard to achieve.”

Yesufu called for accountability, asserting that Nigerian citizens are witnessing the erosion of democracy in real time:

“With the display of servitude to Mr. Tinubu, all senators of the 10th Assembly should bow their heads in shame and be stripped of the undeserving title of ‘Distinguished.’ Those who have not distinguished themselves have no business being called distinguished.”

The activist’s statement adds to growing public scrutiny of the National Assembly’s actions amid a period of heightened tension over governance, military engagement, and the nation’s democratic trajectory.