“They see terrorists as brothers in faith” — Barrister Darlington accuses West African leaders of sabotaging regional anti-terror army 

Legal practitioner and political affairs analyst, Darlington Agumuo on Monday, accused West African leaders, including the Nigerian government, of lacking the political will to establish a unified regional military force to combat terrorism.

Mr Agumuo made the remarks during a global affairs programme on Voice of the People TV, alleging that religious sentiment continues to undermine efforts to end insurgency across the region.

According to him, some political leaders are unwilling to confront terrorist groups because they regard the insurgents as “brothers in faith.”

“They have not decided, they have not mastered the political will to carry out action because religious sentiment has come in. Some of them see them as their brothers; they are their religious brothers. Is that not the same thing that has happened in Nigeria? ‘They are our brothers, they are our prodigal sons.’ And so this type of mentality will never solve this problem,” Mr Agumuo said.

Calls for regional military action

Mr Agumuo argued that a regional force comprising one million soldiers could eliminate terrorist groups operating across West Africa within six months if member states demonstrated genuine commitment.

He also criticised Nigeria’s previous military engagements outside its borders, questioning why resources deployed to assist neighbouring countries had not been fully directed toward addressing insecurity at home.

“Our own Nigeria sent 198 fighter jets to help them fight their own insecurity, meanwhile the home front is still loading. The terrorists at home have not been taken care of, but we can muster such resources to go and help another West African country.”

“If all of them agree, Nigeria will never agree. That’s just the issue here. So why should I blame the terrorists? They should continue to have their way now,” he added.

Mr Agumuo maintained that political hypocrisy remains the greatest obstacle to lasting peace in the region.

Comments on xenophobia

Speaking during the same programme, Mr Agumuo also defended the actions of some South Africans against Nigerian immigrants, arguing that countries have a right to protect their economies from what he described as the consequences of Nigeria’s governance failures.

“You are blaming South Africa, so you want to come and spoil their own country the same way you spoil your own? If I’m South African, I will not allow you. I will not. You go back to your country, I will not allow you, seriously. You must go and repair your country,” he said.

His remarks drew an immediate response from the programme’s anchor, who challenged the comments as unfair to Nigerians leaving the country because of economic hardship.

Responding, Mr Agumuo questioned why Nigerians appeared to constitute a significant proportion of migrants facing deportation or detention in several countries.

“Wherever they are causing problems, it’s Nigerians that will be larger in number. In a deportation camp in India, over 300 of them are Nigerians. Can you imagine? And they are treated like dogs,” he said.

He argued that rather than demanding compensation from foreign governments over attacks on Nigerian citizens, the Federal Government should focus on addressing the conditions driving citizens to leave the country.

Mr Agumuo’s comments come amid renewed diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and South Africa following a fresh wave of anti-immigrant violence involving Nigerian nationals, as well as growing security concerns across the Sahel following continued terrorist attacks despite regional military efforts.

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