Nigeria-US Strengthen Security Ties: Tinubu Meets with US AFRICOM Commander

President Bola Tinubu met with a high-level delegation from the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) led by its Commander, General Dagvin Anderson, at the State House in Abuja. The meeting aimed to strengthen security cooperation between Nigeria and the US, particularly in the fight against terrorism.

The meeting comes on the heels of reports that the US deployed a small team of troops to Nigeria on February 3, 2026, marking the first official US military presence on the ground since airstrikes targeted terrorist positions in the country on Christmas Day 2025. The deployment is part of deepening cooperation between the US and Nigeria against growing terrorist threats in West Africa.

During the meeting, Tinubu was accompanied by his National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and service chiefs. The US delegation included the Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Nigeria, Keith Heffern, and other senior officials. The discussions focused on enhancing security cooperation, including intelligence-sharing and joint operations, to combat terrorism and ensure regional stability.

The meeting signifies a strengthening of bilateral ties between Nigeria and the US, with a focus on security and regional stability. The US has been conducting surveillance flights over Nigeria from neighboring Ghana since November 2025, providing intelligence support ahead of the December airstrikes. This development highlights the growing threat of terrorism in the region and the need for collaborative efforts to address it.