The United States is not preparing for any possible intervention in Nigeria, as was erroneously reported in the Nigerian Compass newspaper, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said March 19, 2010.

"I have seen the news report, and it is wrong," Vince Crawley, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command, said. "The United States is not preparing, planning or alerting personnel for military intervention in Nigeria, or, for that matter, any other African nation."

Crawley added, "General William E. Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command, has issued no military orders with regard to Nigeria. U.S. Africa Command does not have any assigned military forces and has not requested any for operations in Nigeria."

The Nigerian Compass newspaper ran a story headlined: "US plots military strategy for Nigeria’s 'breakup'" The article incorrectly states: "President Barack Obama is preparing American troops for a special intervention in Nigeria, in the event of a widespread chaos that could threaten oil production, a top brass in the U.S. army and a security expert have revealed. According to the Commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), General William Ward, American troops have been placed on red alert as the government is monitoring the political situation in Africa’s most populous nation."

Ward has not placed any troop on alert, Crawley said, adding, "The article provides no sources for its allegation. It goes on to quote, without attribution, a March 16 Voice of America article that quotes a longtime critic of U.S. policy in Africa, who speculates about whether unrest in Nigeria would trigger military intervention."

Some critics of U.S. policy in Africa have speculated that U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, was created to militarily protect U.S. oil interests in Africa. U.S. officials continue to deny the allegations.

"Africa is a continent that is rich in natural resources, to be sure," Ward said during an interview with Ghanaian journalists February 26.

"It is not our intent to dominate, to take control of those resources," Ward said. " , Now, we have no designs on being the dominating force. We have no designs on being the controlling force. We would like to see those resources available in free, open, competitive ways, where their availability is open to the global community, and where they can be used to the betterment of the people of the nations of Africa, where those resources reside."

On March 4, the U.S. Department of State issued a formal statement regarding the political situation in Nigeria, where vice President Goodluck Jonathan has become acting president due to the health condition of President Umaru Yar'Adua. "We applaud the Nigerian leaders who have taken steps to restore confidence in the country's political system while adhering to democratic principles," Philip J. Crowley, assistant secretary of state for public affairs, said in the statement.

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=4181&lang=0

@ezeuche, go and eat your heart out, cos nobody is going to fight your foolish war for you except yourselves, the earleir you realise that the quicker your seccesion, tell bialegend to start mobilising all those armed robbers.

i never imagined for one minute that the us would confirm that they were planning to invade even if that were the case!!!

I think President Obama should order Africom to be on red alert really. I think Africom should employ African on thier team. If Africa Command  is African command. They are allowed peace keeping status.  The reason President Obama needs to put them on alert is that Nigeria is a special case.  

You see the state in the blue line. Jonathan would not pick a state running against a northerner. His chances at the poll are not very good. That why I said , i would run. if you know nigeria politics I would win. his chances at the polls are very slim.

You would have a problem on your hands. And people lifes are very important. And America has to help. Nigeria govt tend not to speak the truth. So if Africom  base its report on nigeria govt, they would be putting the lifes of millions of nigerian in trouble.

This video tell Africom what nigeria leaders are


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnw0H08SYwk&feature=player_embedded

And Do Africom or interpol  now based thier information on people seen on the video. President Obama has to make Africom stand up for its responsibility or else people would ask question.  Do you leave the people lifes to men who rig election and kill innocent people at will . Even God would ask Obama that question. Africom  and america has to choice between its responsiblity for fellowmen or been scared of diplomatic reaction from nigeria govt. I am telling Africom the nigeria army would not defend this govt.  They are not ready to die for anybody. 

they can see how the northern men of the nigeria army brought yar adua into the country without given a hell to inform jonathan. It tell you, ethnics loyalty . You have not seen anything yet.

@becomepoor, plain english please.

which english dont you understand go to school.

The nigeria army is loyal to ethnics group, which is a sign of danger. Every nigeria university graduate went through military training. I did too.   The nigeria army did not give a helll if jonathan was acting president, when they did not take his orders because they are loyal to thier ethnics group. ethnicity was the major factor why they did that.

Africom is suppose to gather intelligence report. And why cant America help nigerian.? if they help the people of iraq. Are they saying we are less important than iraq?

Look the nigeria army would not fight Africom if they come to nigeria. Nobody is ready to die for nigeria. The nigeria army are too smart. People in the nigeria army believe that mockey they work, bamboo they chop. They would not risk thier lifes for politician. Defend who?

So you think hausa/fulani man in the nigeria army  is ready to die for jonathan an ijaw man. You make laugh over here. where are you from.

The nigeria army would be so happy Africom came. They dont give a hell.

Becoompoor, I tire for you ooo Ahn Ahn

Must you always use Maps to illustrate your points?

what you dont know is that if an emir give an order to a hausa/fulani army office to blow up jonathan head. he would obey the order before he listen to jonathan. If the oni of ife give an order to a yorubaman in the army. He would shoot jonathan. It is call ethnic loyalty. The satellite pictures is enough reason for africom to act.

With my plan to make the north majority. every state in the map with blue. I would win. even against jonathan . It is call ethnics loyalty. that is 23 state of 36 state. so you see danger.  All i neeed to do is show them my plan and the satellite picture. It is call ethnics loyalty. I would get the sultan and emirs approval to carry it out my plan. And members of the armys from those state would back me.

I stand a very good chance because i understand several nigeria languages. yorubas, igbo,hausa, igalla and with a little of urhobo and bachamma.

@becomrich it is tribalistic people like you that the americans and british will continue to use to serve their own purposes, first of all africom is not coming to africa in order to deliver nigerians out of the hands of these criminal thugs aka our leaders they are coming to secure the oil wells - end of story, they have absolutely no interest in africa or its people - their interest is in being able to have acces to cheap oil, thats all - your naivite is embarrassing, these people look at us as if we are sub human they dont care how many africans die in the process of them securing their economic interests. you mentioned iraq - what do you think the americans are doing there ? - protecting the iraqis? - jeez you really dont understand what is going on do you? the americans are occupying iraq - iraq is now an occupied and conquered territory with a puppet govt which was installed by the us, the us now has full control over the exploitation of oil in iraq which has the second highest oil reserves in the world - that is their plan for nigeria, you are squabbling over whether jonathan can win votes from the north, what does it matter, the americans are planning on installing another one of their puppets IBB come 2011. these foreigners love people like you who cant understand who the real enemy is here, keep bickering and fighting over whether jonathan can win the north, you are wasting your energy, why dont you reserve it for your real enemies - britain and america who want to sentence your children and grandchildren to another century of misery, poverty and suffering.

tell me what make me tribalistic. So you do you think jonathan can win sokoto state? or bauchi or Gombe. I said I speak several nigeria languages. yorubas, igbo,hausa, igalla and with a little of urhobo and bachamma. How can that make me tribalistic. I use to be a malam in the the north.

why do you keep on talking about oil well.they have no interest in your oil well.  Have you ever been to the USA before. the USA have oil. so is canada. the USA and Canada has more oil reserve than nigeria.

america is not planning to install IBB. Those story are false story. America does not support IBB.

hahahah lmfao this is the funniest thread with the most hilarious comments.

Please becomrrich simply give your points not using maps to illustrate them we are tired of that for god sake,nobody is asking you, And nobody wanna see it anyway if we want we would simply open a new tab and head for maps.google.com-no hating or abuses but please just say what you wanna say without using maps simple jst like the rest of us or we shall use "doctrine of neccessity" to ban you,forcing kosovo and seun to succumb

Virtual Politics - Mr Becomrich why not go into the street and express these absurd views.

If you are not lynched you will be immediately taken to a psychiatric facility.

Your clearly a disturbed being,

Africom is stall news, a "Responsibility to Protect" mandate was set up in 2005 by UN, and presently they have sent their SPECIAL ENVOY into Nigeria to investigate whether the current Jos massacre which resulted in the loss of 200 lives could be deemed a serious violation of human rights/scourge of genocide - which according to them is a breech punishable by either sanction or the imposition of a UN force in the area.


Never mind that this same area in Jos was supposed to be heavily guarded by the Millitary Task Force, never mind that this same UN were the ones who stood by watching the HUTU/TUTSI genocide which claimed millions of lives, never mind the fact that this is the same UN who stood by toothlessly whilst the US barged into Iraq despite them not finding any evidence of weapons of mass destruction. . .

Oh, and who needs Africom when US Naval SHIPS have been despatched since last March 2009 and are still there to date, under the guise of protecting or is it providing Maritime Security to protect our ports. How considerate and generous of them, considering how much we need Nigerian ports protected like we need a hole in the head.

I foresee a "Yemen style" shock and awe on Nigeria soon.

becomricch:

tell me what make me tribalistic. So you do you think jonathan can win sokoto state? or bauchi or Gombe. I said I speak several nigeria languages. yorubas, igbo,hausa, igalla and with a little of urhobo and bachamma. How can that make me tribalistic. I use to be a malam in the the north.

you are tribalistic in your thinking and you cannot think outside the box of tribalism, you have tunnel vision and you cannot see the bigger picture, there is something bigger than tribalism at play here, and the only way to defeat it is to put tribalistic sentiments to one side in order to deal with a problem which should be of greater concern to the average nigerian. 
 

why do you keep on talking about oil well.they have no interest in your oil well.  Have you ever been to the USA before. the USA have oil. so is canada. the USA and Canada has more oil reserve than nigeria.

america is not planning to install IBB. Those story are false story. America does not support IBB.

i see that you prefer to live on fantasy island unlike the rest of us who prefer the real world - so you are telling me that despite the fact that nigeria supplies america with 25% of its crude oil imports they are not really interested in our oil wells, next youll be telling me they're  in iraq to remove weapons of mass destruction. 

IBB and Obasanjo are front men for the US and britain, go and check out their backgrounds they have been working in collaboration with both these countries for years.  Go and research IBB's SAP /austerity programmes which were all initiated under instructions from the us owned IMF bank, go and research about how obasanjo in cahoots with britain and america sold off almost the whole of the nigerian public sector to foreign owned private companies, officially handing over economic control of nigeria to foreigners.