Nigeria, U.S. Intensify Security Cooperation in High-Level Talks

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday received a high-level delegation from the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) as both countries seek to strengthen ongoing security cooperation.

The U.S. delegation, led by AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson, was received at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, according to the presidency.

The meeting forms part of broader bilateral efforts to address persistent insecurity in some of Nigeria’s most volatile regions, particularly in the north and west of the country.

The engagement comes months after U.S. President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC), following Christmas Day airstrikes on suspected terrorist camps in Sokoto State, northwest Nigeria.

Nigeria has in recent months witnessed a surge in violent attacks across its western and northern regions, with an estimated 170 people killed in multiple incidents. In a separate attack in Katsina, northern Nigeria, at least 21 people were killed after gunmen reportedly moved from house to house, targeting residents.

In October 2025, President Trump designated Nigeria a CPC under the International Religious Freedom Act, accusing the country of tolerating “severe violations of religious freedom” and the “mass slaughter” of Christians by what he described as “radical Islamists.” He subsequently warned of possible military intervention if the violence continued.

The Nigerian government has rejected that characterisation, maintaining that extremist groups target citizens across religious lines and that the conflict is driven primarily by terrorism and criminality rather than faith.