Nigeria and US Discuss Security Cooperation

Nigeria and the United States have started a meeting of the USA-Nigeria Joint Working Group. They are looking at how far they have come in fighting terrorism together and planning the next steps in their security partnership.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, shared this news in a post on X on Thursday.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the Joint Working Group was set up in late 2025. This was after the US labeled Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. They held their first meeting in Abuja earlier this year. Nine months after the cooperation began, the US fired missiles at suspected terrorists in Nigeria. Abuja said this action respected its sovereignty.

During the Abuja meeting, Ms Bianca said they talked about “efforts to strengthen cooperation on security and intelligence sharing, protection of vulnerable communities, particularly at risk of religiously motivated violence, and other areas of mutual interest.”

Both countries have been working together to fight terrorism, but they see the problem differently. The US calls the violence in Nigeria “Christian genocide.” Nigeria, on the other hand, argues that armed groups target people of all faiths and backgrounds.

According to Ms Ojukwu, Nigeria's delegation is led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. The US side is led by Allison Hooker, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

The ongoing sessions are aimed at improving Nigeria-US security and defense cooperation. They are also reviewing how well they have done in key areas of their security partnership.

The minister said these areas include plans for the return and better protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs), gathering and sharing intelligence, fighting terrorism financing, and making sure those who commit terrorism and related crimes face justice.

The discussions will also look at better border control measures. This is to stop the movement of illegal goods, resources, and people. Additionally, they will review the “Defence Roadmap.”