NIGERIA and the United States have officially kicked off a powerful new security partnership with the formation of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group on Security Cooperation, a senior-level body designed to deliver rapid, coordinated action against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and the growing jihadist threat across the Sahel.
National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu will chair Nigeria’s delegation, bringing together an all-star lineup that includes Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo among others.
The group’s mission is to deepen real-time intelligence sharing, accelerate U.S. defense equipment deliveries, explore transfers of surplus American military assets, strengthen civilian protection in conflict zones, and expand humanitarian access in the Middle Belt and northeast.
Nigeria has stressed that the partnership is rooted in mutual respect and a shared commitment to defeating criminal extremists, not religious or ethnic targeting.
Born from intensive talks in Washington just weeks ago, the working group is explicitly built for speed. While the date of the first full session remains unannounced, both sides have committed to “immediate operationalisation,” signalling that substantive cooperation – potentially including joint early-warning systems and enhanced training – could begin within days.
For Nigeria, the alliance offers critical support at a time of mounting domestic pressure.
For the United States, it represents a strategic re-engagement with Africa’s most populous nation and a key bulwark against instability spilling beyond West Africa’s borders.