Prominent Nigerian diplomat and former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has launched a scathing attack on U.S. President Donald Trump’s handling of the recent military operation in Venezuela, branding it “reckless” and a hallmark of “cowboy diplomacy.”
In an interview on Arise TV Tuesday morning, Akinyemi condemned the public humiliation of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by U.S. special forces on January 3 in a dramatic overnight raid on Caracas.
Trump personally shared an image on Truth Social showing Maduro blindfolded, handcuffed, and aboard the USS Iwo Jima, en route to face narco-terrorism charges in New York.
“I think Trump has done a very wrong thing and he should be condemned,” Akinyemi declared.
“You have arrested him. Do you have to show pictures of him being handcuffed, being blindfolded?”
He argued that such displays violated basic human dignity and international norms, likening the episode to a “throwback to an era when there was no piracy in the world.”
The respected academic and former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs described Trump’s approach as “crude and confrontational,” stating bluntly: “Trump has behaved like a cowboy, really. There is no other word to describe it.”
Akinyemi’s remarks come amid widespread international backlash to the U.S. operation, which saw American forces strike military targets in Venezuela before extracting Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Trump has justified the action on grounds of combating drug trafficking and reclaiming Venezuelan oil resources, announcing that the U.S. would temporarily “run” the country during a transition period.
The former minister warned against external imposition of regime change, emphasizing Venezuelan sovereignty.
“The ousting of a former president ought to be by the Venezuelans themselves,” he said, adding that “They should not be counting on the United States.”
He insisted that genuine political transformation in Venezuela must emerge internally, rather than through foreign intervention.
Akinyemi’s critique echoes growing global concerns over perceived U.S. unilateralism in Latin America, often criticized as undermining national sovereignty under the banner of democracy promotion or counter-narcotics efforts.
Russia and China have strongly condemned the raid as “international banditry” and “bullying,” while some Western allies have offered muted responses focused on calls for dialogue.
The operation has thrust Venezuela into uncertainty, with acting President Delcy Rodríguez signaling potential cooperation with Washington, even as protests erupt in Caracas and Maduro pleads not guilty in a U.S. court.
source: pmnewsnigeria