A Former Assistant Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Dennis Amachree, has described the recent United States airstrikes against terrorists in Nigeria’s North-West as a calculated and deliberate warning, not a random military action.
Amachree made the position on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, where he said the operation sends a clear message to terrorists and their supporters, warning that sustained military action will follow.
“The message is very clear. It’s a warning shot to the terrorists and their supporters, wherever they are. I believe the raids will continue,” he said, emphasizing that insecurity should no longer be politicized.
“We can’t keep making it political and dodging the real issues that have persisted for years.”
The ex-DSS boss explained that the strikes involved highly sophisticated MQ-9 Reaper Predator drones and precision-guided missiles. He stressed that such operations are far too expensive to be symbolic or accidental.
“The missiles used were precision-guided and delivered by the MQ-9 Reaper Predator drone, which are very costly,” Amachree said.
“The Reaper drone itself costs about 30 to 33 million dollars, and the missiles used in the strikes are about 2 million dollars each.
“I don’t think the United States would wake up one morning and throw its money in the desert somewhere.”
Amachree’s comments come after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed that Nigeria officially requested and supported the US strikes, which reportedly killed several terrorists in Sokoto State.
The airstrike was confirmed by the President of the United States who said the action was to end terrorism and unjust killings of Christians.
The strikes mark a significant escalation in international cooperation against terrorism in Nigeria’s North-West.
