The Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC) has strongly condemned Nigeria’s newly announced security partnership with Israel, describing the agreement as a threat to national sovereignty and a possible gateway to international legal and ethical violations.
In a statement released on Tuesday by MPAC Executive Chairman, Disu Kamor, the organistion expressed alarm over the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State of Israel.
The deal reportedly includes provisions for cooperation on counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, security financing, and advanced tactical training.
MPAC called the move a “dangerous gamble,” warning that Nigeria’s alignment with Israel at a time when it faces global scrutiny for alleged war crimes in Gaza could damage the country’s international standing.
Citing ongoing proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel stands accused of genocide and mass civilian atrocities in Gaza, MPAC questioned the legitimacy and morality of entering a security alliance with such a state.
“To imagine that such a state whose security doctrine is shaped by unrestrained violence, collective punishment, and disregard for civilian immunity can offer meaningful solutions to Nigeria’s security crisis is to embrace a dangerous illusion,” MPAC said in the statement.
The group argued that the partnership could implicate Nigeria in breaches of international humanitarian law, particularly if Israeli contractors deploy tactics or technologies tested in occupied Palestinian territories.
MPAC warned that Nigeria risks becoming complicit in alleged crimes against humanity by collaborating with a state under formal international investigation.
“By allowing Israeli security operatives who may use tools developed in the context of human rights abuses into Nigeria’s security framework, we risk entanglement in international legal breaches,” the statement read.
The group also cautioned against what it described as Israel’s “habitual manipulation of intelligence,” suggesting that such practices could be exploited within Nigeria’s complex and politically sensitive security landscape.
Rejecting the notion that foreign states can deliver lasting security, MPAC stressed that Nigeria must focus on internal reforms and local capacity building.
“From Mali to Somalia, foreign interventions have only created dependency and institutional decay. Israel’s motives in Nigeria are not humanitarian; they are geopolitical, commercial, and strategic,” Kamor said.
The organization further cast doubt on the effectiveness of Israeli defense systems, referencing notable failures such as the October 2023 Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel and the April 2025 Iranian missile strike on Tel Aviv.
“If Israel’s billion-dollar security architecture cannot protect its own cities, it is unrealistic to expect it will secure Nigeria’s markets, villages, and highways,” MPAC argued.
MPAC demanded that the Federal Government disclose all details of its agreements with Israel and subject them to legislative and civil society scrutiny. It also called for an immediate suspension of the pact pending the outcome of international legal proceedings involving Israel.
The group urged Nigerian authorities to reaffirm the country’s historical foreign policy stance rooted in justice, peace, and solidarity with oppressed peoples, particularly in Palestine.
In its statement, MPAC laid out alternative recommendations for achieving sustainable security in Nigeria, which include reforming and equipping security agencies, promoting accountability and the rule of law, engaging religious and community leaders, addressing socio-economic drivers of insecurity, and strengthening cooperation with Africa and multilateral bodies.
“Nigeria can and must chart its own path to peace—one built on justice, dignity, and national pride. To outsource our security to a foreign power facing genocide charges is not a solution; it is a betrayal,” Kamor said.
