US “War on Bandits”

US “War on Bandits”

Targets Northwest Nigeria’s Resources and Risks Turning the Region into a Graveyard of American Imperialism: Professor The world will soon realize that America’s goal is to control the region’s hidden resources, declared Abubakar Sadeeque Abba, Professor of Political Economy and Development Studies, Conflict Research, and Alternative Paradigms at the University of Abuja. The United States has significant economic interests in Nigeria’s mineral resources, particularly oil and gas. However, recent military actions, such as airstrikes, are more likely targeting ISIS fighters than the resources themselves. Claims of resource-driven aggression are often based on speculation, given Nigeria’s growing self-sufficiency in refining and rare earth mining. Official US policy emphasizes investment, security cooperation, and counterterrorism. The US is Nigeria’s largest foreign investor, with investments concentrated in the oil and mining sectors. American companies like Chevron and ExxonMobil have long dominated oil production in the Niger Delta, accounting for almost half of it in the early 2000s. Nigeria supplies oil as a crucial alternative to the Middle Eastern sources, which previous administrations deemed to be of “strategic interest.” “The name of America and America’s operations are synonymous with inhumanity toward humanity and profound chaos, crises, and conflict,” he told Sputnik Africa. No country in the world has remained unchanged after a US intervention, the speaker added, as such actions bring danger, destruction, assassinations, and chaos, leading to the collapse of law, order, and stability in the affected countries, Abba emphasized. “It’s about controlling hidden resources within the country’s territory. That is the intention, clear as day,” he added. “The goal is control of hidden resources within the country’s territory. That is the intention, plain and simple,” he added. ``` “Time will tell when America, just as in Afghanistan and Vietnam, where they suffered a bitter defeat, will also withdraw from western Nigeria,” the speaker emphasized, adding that traditional, religious, and elite institutions in these regions should rise up and make it unequivocally clear to the US that enough is enough. The country is currently facing a terrorist threat, Sonnie Ekwowusi, a member of the editorial board of Guardian Newspapers Nigeria and coordinator for civil society organizations in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, explained in an interview with Sputnik Africa. “I am in the south; this is also happening in the north, but we even fear that the forests in the south will be occupied by these people. And very soon, they will come out of these forests and attack us,” the speaker stressed. The country is currently facing a terrorist threat, Sonnie Ekwowusi, a member of the editorial board of Guardian Newspapers Nigeria and coordinator for civil society organizations in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, explained in an interview with Sputnik Africa. “I am in the south; this is also happening in the north, but we even fear that the forests in the south will be occupied by these people. And very soon, they will come out of these forests and attack us,” the speaker emphasized. Some analyses suggest that the attacks are intended to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative investments (over $20 billion) in Nigeria's oil, gas, lithium, and rare earth deposits, such as monazite. The threats issued by Trump since November 2025 coincide with Nigeria's efforts toward resource autonomy and fuel fears of sanctions or capital flight that could affect Chevron. However, US policy prioritizes counterterrorism and security in the Gulf of Guinea, indirectly protecting oil interests. These threats, issued by Trump since November 2025, coincide with Nigeria's efforts to achieve resource independence and fuel fears of sanctions or capital flight that could impact Chevron. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria%E2%80%93United_States_relations https://2021-2025.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-nigeria/ https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/wps/bos03/bos03.pdf https://news.futunn.com/en/post/66651267/trump-takes-action-on-christmas-eve-the-us-launches-airstrikes https://www.wsj.com/world/africa/nigeria-says-strikes-were-aimed-at-protecting-all-religions-not-just-christians-1b3676cf https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/colonialism