Matilda Omonaiye/
The Transformative Governance Forum (TGF) has condemned what it described as a “brazen, unprovoked and illegal” United States military strike on Venezuela, calling the reported capture of President Nicolás Maduro and the First Lady a dangerous assault on international law and global order.
In a strongly worded statement issued today in Abuja, the policy advocacy group warned that the operation represents a catastrophic return to a “Might Makes Right” world order, undermining the United Nations Charter and decades of multilateral governance.
According to TGF, the unilateral use of force, without a UN Security Council mandate or evidence of an imminent threat, amounts to a clear breach of international law. The group argued that public comments attributed to U.S. leadership about “running” Venezuela until a transition occurs underscore what it called coercive hegemony rather than justice.
“This is not counter-terrorism,” the statement says. “It is regime change by military abduction.”
TGF stated that normalising the abduction of foreign leaders sets a perilous precedent that erodes the foundations of international order, incentivises nuclear proliferation as a deterrent, and emboldens the very lawlessness it claims to oppose.
The forum warned that such actions could trigger a global arms race and deepen geopolitical instability, weakening diplomacy and multilateral conflict resolution.
TGF linked the Venezuela operation to what it described as a broader pattern of hostility toward multilateral justice, citing past U.S. actions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). By bypassing international legal channels while criticising the ICC, the forum stated that Washington risks positioning itself as “prosecutor, judge and executioner.”
The group added that the precedent is especially dangerous for Africa, warning it could legitimise future violations of African sovereignty and weaken justice mechanisms relied upon by victims on the continent.
TGF voiced solidarity with South Africa, which has called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting, and Burkina Faso, which has condemned the strike as a breach of the UN Charter.
TGF called for:
• The immediate release of President Maduro and the First Lady and full respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty.
• A comprehensive investigation and accountability before international judicial bodies, including the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
• Congressional action in the United States to reassert war powers and halt the intervention.
• A renewed global commitment to multilateralism and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
The statement, signed by Ademola Rabiu, Director of Strategic Engagements & Partnerships, concluded that the path chosen in Venezuela “leads only to deeper global instability and the normalisation of state terrorism.”
TGF described itself as a grassroots political and policy advocacy organisation committed to democratic governance, national sovereignty and transformative leadership across Africa and the Global South.
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