₦airaland Forum

Trump sparks anger over claim Nato troops avoided Afghan front line

Donald Trump has sparked fresh outrage in the UK after saying Nato troops stayed "a little off the front lines" during the war in Afghanistan.

Labour MP Emily Thornberry, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, called it an "absolute insult" to the 457 British service personnel killed in the conflict, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "How dare he question their sacrifice?"

Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who served in Afghanistan, said it was "sad to see our nation's sacrifice, and that of our Nato partners, held so cheaply".

The UK was among several allies to join the US in Afghanistan from 2001, after it invoked Nato's collective security clause following the 9/11 terror attacks.

The US president told Fox News on Thursday that he was "not sure" the military alliance would be there for America "if we ever needed them".

"We've never needed them," he said, adding: "We have never really asked anything of them."

"They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan," he said, "and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines".

He said the US had "been very good to Europe and to many other countries", adding: "It has to be a two-way street."

Thornberry told the BBC's Question Time that the remarks were "much more than a mistake".

"It's an absolute insult... How dare he say we weren't on the front line, how dare he?

"We have always been there whenever the Americans have wanted us," she said, calling Trump "a man who has never seen any action" but was now "commander in chief and knows nothing about how it is that America has been defended".

She said the US was the UK's "friend" but its leader had "behaved in a way that is bullying, rude, that has deliberately been trying to undermine us, which has been trying to undermine Nato."

On the same programme, Conservative shadow cabinet member Stuart Andrew also called the comments "disgraceful" and "appalling".

"There are many people in this country who served both in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom lost their lives, but also many more who came back with life-changing injuries and we should say thank you to them."

He added that the UK-US special relationship was important for both defence and security, and that in recent weeks Trump had directed conversation to the security of the Arctic - where he said there was a "very serious threat".


Sir Ed wrote on social media that Trump had "avoided military service", adding: "How dare he question their sacrifice?"

Speaking to BBC's Newsnight programme, Dutch foreign minister David van Weel rejected Trump's remarks as "false", saying "Europeans shed blood" in support of US troops in Afghanistan.

He said Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte had rebuffed similar comments Trump made earlier, during a joint press conference the pair held at Davos on Thursday.

Asked about the US president repeating the claim, van Weel, said: "We should speak out for the truth as Mark Rutte did. And if he repeated it, we need to repeat it again because that's not how history went."

Meanwhile, former British Army officer Obese-Jecty said it was "sad to see our nation's sacrifice, and that of our Nato partners, held so cheaply by the president of the United States".

"I saw first hand the sacrifices made by British soldiers," he wrote on X.

"I don't believe US military personnel share the view of President Trump; his words do them a disservice as our closest military allies."

Calvin Bailey, a Labour MP and former RAF officer who served alongside US special operations units in Afghanistan, said the president's claim bore "no resemblance to the reality experienced by those of us who served there".

"As I reminded the US Forces I served with on 4 July 2008, we were there because of a shared belief, articulated at America's founding, that free people have inalienable rights and should not live under tyranny," he told the PA news agency.

"That belief underpinned the response to 9/11, and it is worth reflecting on now."

The BBC approached the Ministry of Defence for comment.

A spokesperson pointed to comments made by Defence Secretary John Healey while visiting Nato ally Denmark on Wednesday - before Trump's comments.

He said: "In Afghanistan, our forces trained together, they fought together, and on some occasions, they died together, making the ultimate sacrifice."

The US invaded in October 2001 to oust the Taliban, whom they said were harbouring Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks. Nato nations contributed troops and military equipment to the US-led war.

More than 3,500 coalition soldiers had died as of 2021, when the US withdrew from the country - about two-thirds of them Americans.

The UK suffered the second-highest number of military deaths in the conflict behind the US, which saw 2,461 fatalities.

The US is the only country to have invoked the collective security provisions of Nato's Article 5, which states that "an armed attack against one Nato member shall be considered an attack against them all".

cuteboy2:
The dispute was caused by Dapo Abiodun. Dangote was frustrated and took his refinery to Lekki.l Free Trade Zone. Ogun State lost out. The rest is history.

fineboynl:
The community will regret it trust me. When the thieves come for the oil that committee will never remain the same.

Instead of a black man to build refinery there. And use tanker to distribute the end product within nigeria They are looking for seaport to export the oil.

Unlimitk:
Theirs is an agrarian community surrounded by water. Isolated from the rest of the world, life for the people of Tongeji Island in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State has been gloomy, reports Precious Igbonwelundu.
The closest they’ve got to a school are two delapidated buildings with no chairs and boasting of fallen roofs and burst zinc. These buildings serve as classrooms for children in primary one to six in the community’s primary school, which the highest certificate warding institution on Tongeji Island.

During a recent visit by our correspondent, the people claimed a lot of their kins have died in the last five years, while expectant mothers are either ferried to Port Novo in neighboring Benin Republic to be delivered or they get delivered of their babies at home in very crude ways by local birth attendants.

Of course, there is a community health centre commissioned in 2001 by former Ogun State Governor, Olusegun Osoba, but it has been in ruins for so many years until the Nigerian Navy (NN) recently renovated the structure. And more frightening is the fact that the first time in five years that the people of the Island had contact with anything like orthodox medicine was on May 23, this year, when the NN extended medical assistance to the area as part of efforts to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
With a land mass of approximately 200 hectares and a population of over 500 people, Tongeji Island is situated less than five minutes drive from Port Novo in Benin Republic, and 150 minutes by speedboat from the Western Naval Command (WNC) headquarters in Apapa, Lagos. Surrounded by aquatic splendour, the island with its enormous palm/coconut trees, white sand, greenery, humid weather and most recently discovered crude oil should ordinarily be a tourists’ paradise.

But sadly, all there is in the community are ruined structures. It boasts of no access roads, no electricity and not even a market for the people to readily sell their livestock and other farm produce. Commercial boats from Badagry, The Nation gathered, come to the Tongeji jetty once in five days and charges as much as N800.
To the people of the community, being born in Tongeji is akin to being cursed because aside the obvious neglects and alienation, they have been plagued by smugglers, pipeline vandals and other criminal elements who see the island as a safe haven. And despite a report published by The Nation in December 2014, detailing the plight of the people, nothing has been done by the government to give them succour.

This reporter who was privileged to follow the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) WNC, Rear Admiral Fergusson Bobai, his Principal Staff Officers (PSOs), as well as the Commander, NNS BEECROFT, Commordore Abraham Adaji, to the Island recently, observed that the only painted structures there are the renovated medical centre, the monarch’s palace and the Catholic Church.

At the entrance to the community, a green sign post welcoming people to island was sighted with the NN’s logo on it. The narrow road with white sand that leads to the village collapsed where palm trees began, which leads straight to the palace of the monarch, Oba Bi Olorunkosi.
There are about 20 houses on the Island with an uncompleted bungalow situated behind the monarch’s palace described as the home of one of the richest men on the Island. Also, there are two 50KVA generators recently provided by the navy to power the medical centre and provide the entire community with electricity for at least two hours a day.

Although the inhabitants claimed over 500 people were still resident in the community, not many people, not even school children, were seen. It was gathered from the residents that hardship has forced a handful of their kins to migrate to other places, just as families who can afford the financial burden, have moved their wards to Augustine School in Port Novo.

According to the King’s interpreter, Rochas Idowu, who also manufactures wooden boats, children who school outside the community were usually transported by canoes and wooden boats. Idowu was at the jetty to welcome the monarch’s guests with a group of women chanting welcome songs in Yoruba and using aluminium plates and spoons as drums.

“Our community has been forgotten and isolated from the rest of Nigeria. They only remember us during elections when they come with lofty promises. Our people have relocated to other places because the hardship is too much. We have begged the government to make this Island look like other cities.

“We are basically farmers here. We engage in fish and animal farming, crop farming too. Our land is very fertile but our challenge is not being able to sell our produce. There is no market here. No road connecting other communities. The nearest Nigerian market to us is Badagry and boats that ply that route come once in five days. We also pay as much as N800 for a trip,” he said.
Disturbed by the hopeless state of the island, the monarch lamented the difficulty his people go through to live normal lives.

“Government should help by constructing a road that will link us with other cities. People are relocating because of the hardship. Whenever I am summoned from Abeokuta, I usually leave here by 5a.m because the journey will take about five hours.

I have to cross to Otho Topa in Benin Republic, where they will bring my car and then take me to Ajase through Igbolo before going to Idi-Iroko and then proceeding to Abeokuta. A road should be constructed from Whekan (a bother community about 50 minutes away). There can be a bridge, we have swampy areas where the bridge can be done.
The government has come to look at it and promised that work will start, but we have not seen them. That is why all our children left this community; they have gone to look for work outside. If we had a road, there will be commercial activities here and our youths will be around to build this place. But everything is like this because our economy is down and there’s nothing for the youths to do,” he said.

Hope in sight?
Despite the despair, the visit of the navy boss, the people believe, could be the beginning of a new dawn. For starters, Bobai who said he was sent by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, to survey the Island ahead of the establishment of a naval unit there, promised to get his boss’ approval for the renovation of the school.

He also promised to discuss the issue of access road with the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun whenever he has audience with him. To Bobai, the establishment of the base, aside deterring criminals and intruders, will establish federal presence and bring economic activities to the Island.
“I visited Tongeji Island on the directives of the CNS because the navy is very particular about this place. I came to determine the infrastructure on ground ahead of the establishment of a naval observation unit.
“Between March and June 1, the FOB Badagry has arrested 17 Benoinese for alleged smuggling and crude oil theft. It is a clear indication that criminal elements exploit the vulnerabilities of the Island to achieve their aims. That is why the navy wants to increase its presence here by establishing a unit.

“Already, the community has offered land to the navy for that purpose and we are positive that aside providing security for them, the base will attract development and expand the place,” said Bobai

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thenationonlineng.net/tongeji-island/amp/

richiemcgold:
There's another Olokola in Ondo State with a proposed site for free trade zone. Are they the same?

Tinubu Approves Oil Drilling at Tongeji Island, Olokola Deep Seaport Gets Green Light

President @officialABAT has approved the commencement of commercial oil drilling at Tongeji Island, positioning Ogun State firmly on the path to becoming an oil-producing state.

Governor @DapoAbiodunCON also announced the immediate take-off of the long-awaited Olokola Deep Seaport in Ogun Waterside, to be known as the Blue Marine Economic Zone. The project will significantly decongest Lagos ports, unlock massive commercial and industrial opportunities, and fully harness Ogun State’s strategic coastal advantage.

Governor Abiodun noted that both projects are of special interest to Mr President and disclosed that engagements are already ongoing to fast-track implementation. He also commended the Nigerian Navy for upgrading its presence at Tongeji Island to a Forward Operations Base, strengthening border security and protecting emerging economic activities.

#BuildingOurFutureTogether #OgunStateRising #BlueMarineEconomicZone #GatewayState

WizardOfNG:
That's what it is. Deep frustration, bile and hateful bitterness against others they blame (mainly Tinubu) for preventing the emergence of an Igbo Presidency they are so desperate for.

Atiku too stands in their way and so too the entire gang of Northern supremacists and born-to-rule hegemonists.

Yet they dare not attack those ones. It is Tinubu and Yorubas they foam at the mouth against daily and reserve their most toxic bile for.

Tears loading for them in 2027. They know it as well hence the reason they are literally snapping off the heads of others online they believe to be Tinubu fans.

LAGOS STATE POLICE COMMAND SWIFTLY NEUTRALISES THREAT TO SCHOOLS IN IKEJA AS CP OLOHUNDARE JIMOH PERSONALLY LEADS THE OPERATION, ORDERS FULL INVESTIGATION

The Lagos State Police Command has once again demonstrated its commitment to the protection of lives and property following a swift, intelligence-led response to a security threat directed at some prominent private schools in Ikeja. On Tuesday, 21st January, 2026, at about 16:00 hrs, the Human Resources Manager and the Chief Security Officer of both schools, situated within Ikeja, independently reported to Ikeja Divisional Headquarters that they received distress WhatsApp messages from the same unknown number.

(2) Upon receipt of the reports, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, immediately mobilised and personally led a team of police operatives, including a team of experts from the Command's Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN), the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), and other tactical teams, to the school premises for on-the-spot assessment and security reinforcement.

(3) A painstaking and comprehensive sweep of the entire school environment, including classrooms, administrative offices, halls, playgrounds, and surrounding premises, was conducted by the EOD-CBRN experts to rule out the presence of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) or any other dangerous or suspicious materials. The operation yielded no explosive or hazardous device, and the schools were consequently declared safe for continued academic and administrative activities.

(4) The Commissioner of Police has directed that the investigation be intensified to trace, identify, and apprehend the sender(s) of the threat message with a view to bringing them to justice in accordance with the law. While combined teams of police personnel have been strategically deployed on a permanent basis to the affected schools to ensure round-the-clock safety of students, staff, and school facilities.

(5) The Lagos State Police Command assures parents, guardians, school authorities, and the general public that the Command remains proactive, responsive, and fully committed to maintaining peace, safety, and public order across the State. Members of the public are enjoined to remain calm, vigilant, and continue with their lawful activities, while promptly reporting any suspicious activity or security concern to the nearest police station or through emergency numbers: 07061019374, 08065154338, 08063299264, 08039344870 and 09168630929.

SP ABIMBOLA ADEBISI, anipr, mipra,
POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
LAGOS STATE COMMAND, IKEJA.

22ND JANUARY, 2026

Hedonisco:
Your amala imput is not needed here. Go to any Tinubu thread and praise sing him there as your tribal god that he is.

You people are irritating with the kobo kobo corner corner sense you think you have.

Ishilove:
Am I the only one who doesn't know who this Ishowspeed fellow is? Never heard of him.

As for Peller, the young man needs professional PR management. School no be scam, after all.