Obadare made the call on Tuesday while appearing as an expert witness at a congressional roundtable in Washington, where US lawmakers discussed rising insecurity in Nigeria and alleged targeted persecution of Christians.
During the session, some lawmakers accused the Nigerian government of “running out the clock” on addressing religiously motivated killings, describing the situation as “a targeted campaign of religious cleansing”. They vowed to act swiftly to help curb the violence.
Obadare attributed much of Nigeria’s security crisis to the activities of jihadist groups, particularly Boko Haram, which he said has been waging a relentless campaign to overthrow the state.
“Every proposal to solve the Nigerian crisis that does not take seriously the need to radically degrade and ultimately eliminate Boko Haram as a fighting force is a non-starter,” he said.
He argued that sustained pressure from Washington, backed by incentives, could compel Nigeria to take stronger action. He cited examples of previous pressure, including Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and former President Donald Trump’s threat of unilateral military action, which he said prompted moves such as increased air strikes, recruitment of 30,000 additional police personnel, and a declaration of a national security emergency.
Obadare recommended a two-pronged US strategy: assisting Nigeria militarily to neutralise Boko Haram, and pushing President Bola Tinubu to make Sharia law unconstitutional in the 12 northern states where it has been in force since 1999, as well as disbanding Hisbah groups enforcing Islamic codes.
Although Sharia law applies only to Muslims in northern states, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has alleged receiving reports of Hisbah operatives targeting Christians.
