Cable News
Details have emerged on the expanding military partnership between Nigeria and the United States, following a series of high-level engagements sparked by Washington’s re-designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged attacks on Christians, a claim Abuja rejects.
The move by the former U.S. administration prompted President Bola Tinubu to send a senior delegation led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to meet U.S. officials, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, in discussions aimed at intensifying collaboration against shared security threats.
Shortly thereafter, the U.S. began conducting intelligence-gathering flights over Nigerian territory, using contractor-operated aircraft based in neighbouring Ghana to collect surveillance data on militant networks.
On Christmas Day, the U.S. launched missile strikes targeting terrorist encampments in the Bauni forest, Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the “precision hits” were the result of coordinated intelligence sharing and strategic alignment under established bilateral arrangements.
While some reports suggested the strikes involved more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a naval vessel in the Gulf of Guinea, officials familiar with the operation told TheCable that drones were involved in delivering precision munitions.
In the weeks since, senior officials from both countries have participated in joint working group meetings to strengthen cooperation, including discussions over establishing a drone refuelling station in northeastern Nigeria to support continued surveillance flights.
The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has also acknowledged the deployment of a “small team” of American personnel to Nigeria to support ongoing security cooperation, although the role of these forces has been framed as advisory rather than combat-oriented.
Nigerian authorities have emphasised that the partnership respects national sovereignty and is focused on enhancing Nigeria’s capacity to address terrorism through intelligence sharing, training, and equipment support — not foreign combat operations.
