Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, has suggested that external forces may be contributing to Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis, pointing to international claims and developments that he said hint at foreign involvement in the country’s terrorism challenges.

Bwala made the comments during an appearance on The Link Up Podcast, a discussion produced by EchoRoom and released on Friday.

He also alleged that rivalry between the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration undermined counterterrorism operations, claiming troops were sometimes denied air support during military missions.

Referring to protests in parts of northern Nigeria where demonstrators reportedly displayed Russian flags, Bwala said such scenes suggested Nigeria’s security challenges may extend beyond its own borders, recalling that government decisions followed shortly after those displays emerged.

He also referenced claims made by United States Congressman Scott Perry during a congressional hearing, in which Perry alleged that the Central Intelligence Agency had funded Boko Haram and the Islamic State. Bwala said he was not endorsing the claim but noted that such allegations show the subject of external involvement in Nigeria’s terrorism problem has been raised at an international level.

He said he could not confirm whether Perry’s claims were accurate, since Perry is not Nigerian, but stressed that the exchange during the hearing was a documented event that could not simply be dismissed.

On the alleged rivalry between the military branches, Bwala said disagreements between the former Chief of Air Staff and army leadership disrupted coordination, at times leaving troops without requested air cover. He said such coordination problems no longer exist under the current administration.

Asked about claims that terrorist groups may have infiltrated Nigeria’s security agencies, Bwala dismissed suggestions that military personnel deliberately protect terrorists during attacks, calling such claims speculative in the absence of concrete evidence.