Soldiers Have Arrested Foreigners Linked To Insecurity In Nigeria – Presidency

The Presidency has disclosed that Nigerian troops have arrested foreign nationals suspected of involvement in insecurity in parts of the country, saying their identities were withheld to protect ongoing diplomatic engagements.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Daniel Bwala, made the disclosure while speaking on The Link Up Podcast, a panel discussion hosted by EchoRoom and published on Friday.

According to Bwala, foreign interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs has been driven by national security and economic interests, including the country’s oil resources and some policy decisions taken by the Federal Government.

Recalling protests in parts of northern Nigeria where Russian flags were displayed, Bwala suggested the demonstrations followed a major decision by the Federal Government.

“If you remember, there was a decision the Federal Government of Nigeria made at that time, and immediately we started seeing people in Nigeria lifting Russian flags,” he said.

“Our soldiers have arrested foreign nationals in the middle of the country.”

He said the military deliberately withheld the identities and nationalities of those arrested to avoid disrupting diplomatic engagements with the countries involved.

“For security reasons, the military refused to disclose their nationality, but the government of Nigeria related with those nationalities and countries.

“If you catch somebody like that, you keep them until that country has something also in it, so you do prisoner exchange,” he said.

Bwala added that countries considered friendly were privately engaged and encouraged to address the issue rather than being publicly named, noting that intelligence operations often rely on what he described as plausible deniability.

On allegations that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) funds terrorism in Nigeria, Bwala said he could not verify the claim.

He, however, recalled that a member of the United States Congress, Scott Perry, had raised the issue during a congressional hearing involving a CIA director.

“I’m not saying he’s right or he’s wrong, but an event like that has occurred, and as a country we cannot hear that and say you are a liar,” he said.

Speaking on the security situation, Bwala said Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) had expanded their operations from the North-East into the North-West and were attempting to move towards the North-Central.

He said the Federal Government was working to contain the insurgents before they spread to southern Nigeria.

The presidential aide also dismissed allegations that the military deliberately protects terrorists during operations, describing such claims as speculation.

He, however, acknowledged that infiltration of security agencies by informants was possible, citing the arrest of a senior police officer alongside Chinese nationals and the case of American whistleblower Edward Snowden as examples.

Bwala further criticised what he described as poor coordination between the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying those operational lapses had been addressed under President Bola Tinubu.

He also rated the Tinubu administration positively, citing improvements in Nigeria’s foreign reserves and government revenue, and said Nigerians would ultimately decide whether the President deserves a second term in office.

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