The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, has alleged that foreign interests are playing a significant role in sustaining Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly the prolonged insurgency and terrorist activities affecting parts of the country.

Bwala made the remarks while speaking on The Link Up Podcast hosted by Echoo Room, where he highlighted a number of factors he believes have contributed to the persistent insecurity confronting Nigeria.

According to him, the growing wave of terrorism across the Sahel region remains one of the biggest threats to Nigeria’s security landscape. He explained that extremist groups operating in neighbouring Sahel countries often exploit Nigeria’s porous borders, launching attacks on communities before retreating beyond the country’s frontiers.

The presidential aide argued that the security crisis is not driven solely by local actors, insisting that external forces have, over the years, contributed to the complexity of the conflict.

“Nigeria is also a country where there are foreign interests against the nation,” Bwala said during the podcast discussion.

Reflecting on the early years of the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State, he raised concerns over the activities of some foreign organisations that entered the region under the guise of humanitarian assistance.

He questioned what he described as unusually long-term commitments by certain non-governmental organisations, claiming that some rented properties for periods ranging from 10 to 15 years.

“When Boko Haram began in Borno, some organisations came claiming to provide humanitarian support and secured accommodation for as long as 10 to 15 years. The question is: what informed such long-term projections?” he asked.

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Bwala further claimed that security agencies had, on several occasions, apprehended foreign nationals among suspected Boko Haram members arrested during military operations.

According to him, the presence of foreigners within the ranks of insurgent groups points to a wider network of support that has helped sustain the conflict and complicated efforts to bring it to an end.

“These are some of the elements that are not only fuelling the crisis but also making it more difficult to achieve a lasting solution,” he stated.

The presidential spokesman also disclosed that the Nigerian military has often refrained from publicly revealing the nationalities of foreign suspects arrested alongside insurgents, citing security and operational considerations.

His comments come amid renewed concerns over cross-border terrorism and growing calls for stronger regional cooperation among West African nations to tackle insecurity, arms trafficking and the movement of extremist groups across the Sahel and Lake Chad regions.

Security experts have repeatedly warned that instability in neighbouring countries continues to have direct implications for Nigeria’s national security, making collaborative efforts among affected nations critical to addressing the evolving threat.