The Presidency says the United States Government
has reaffirmed its readiness to deepen security cooperation with Nigeria,
including enhanced intelligence sharing, defence equipment support, and other
technical assistance aimed at strengthening ongoing operations against
terrorists and violent extremist groups nationwide.
The development follows a series of high-level
engagements in Washington, D.C., last week between American officials and a
Nigerian delegation led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
High-Level Meetings in Washington
According to the Presidency, the delegation met with
senior officials from the US Congress, the White House Faith Office,
the State Department, the National Security Council, and the Department
of War.
Other members of the delegation included:
Nigeria Refutes Genocide Allegations
A statement issued on Monday by Bayo Onanuga,
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, said the
Nigerian team used the engagements to refute genocide allegations
circulating in international circles.
The delegation stressed that violent attacks in
Nigeria affect families across all religious and ethnic groups, warning
that portraying the situation as genocide would distort the nation’s reality
and deepen divisions.
US Expresses Readiness to Expand
Assistance
According to Onanuga, the discussions helped clarify
misconceptions about Nigeria, strengthen mutual confidence, and advance a solution-driven
partnership focused on protecting vulnerable communities, particularly in
the Middle Belt.
He added that the United States showed willingness to
provide:
Both countries also agreed to establish a Joint
Working Group and immediately implement a non-binding cooperation
framework to synchronize efforts.
The Nigerian delegation reaffirmed the government’s
commitment to “strengthening civilian protection measures” and ensuring that
all citizens enjoy security regardless of faith or ethnicity.
Background: Trump’s Threat of Military
Action
The renewed diplomatic engagement follows
controversial remarks by US President Donald Trump, who recently
threatened to deploy American forces to Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” over
what he called the targeted killing of Christians.
Trump had also designated Nigeria a “Country of
Particular Concern,” claiming there was a “mass slaughter” underway.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the
killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance
to Nigeria, and may very well go into that disgraced country
‘guns-a-blazing’...” Trump said on Truth Social.
President Bola Tinubu, however, dismissed
Trump’s claims, insisting that Nigeria is committed to religious freedom
and rejecting any suggestion of genocide against Christians.
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