Paul Ibe, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the controversial United States airstrikes in Sokoto State, describing the government as “screwed up.”

Ibe made the remarks while reacting to a report by The New York Times which suggested that a screwdriver salesman based in Onitsha supplied intelligence that led to the US military attack in Sokoto.

He described the development as evidence of deep dysfunction within the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Ibe recalled that the Federal Government had earlier stated that the intelligence used for the operation was provided by Nigeria.

He questioned the credibility of Nigeria’s intelligence-gathering process and expressed concern over how such information could allegedly originate from a civilian trader.

Ibe also raised issues about Nigeria’s reported $9 million lobbying contract with a US firm under the Tinubu administration, suggesting that the deal may already be producing negative consequences.

He wrote:
“If we are to believe the New York Times report that a screwdriver salesman in Onitsha provided the intelligence that was used in the US military strike on a terrorist camp in Sokoto, it underscores how screwed up the Tinubu-led APC administration is.

“The Federal Government said, and the US authorities confirmed, that the intelligence for the strike was provided by Nigeria.

“Are we to believe that Tinubu’s $9 million contract with a US lobby firm is already at work screwing things up?”

The comments have since sparked renewed debate over Nigeria’s security coordination with foreign partners and the integrity of its intelligence system.