President Bola Tinubu on Sunday received a high-level United States military delegation at the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja.
The delegation was led by the Commander of the United States Africa Command, USAFRICOM, General Dagvin R. Anderson. Also present was the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. Keith Heffern, alongside other senior officials.
The meeting took place at the State House, where the President welcomed the visitors with the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and Nigeria’s service chiefs in attendance. However, details of the closed-door discussion were not immediately made public.
The visit was confirmed in a statement by the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Mr. Dada Olusegun. He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu received General Anderson, his team, and the U.S. envoy at the State House, Abuja.
Although the agenda was not disclosed, the engagement comes at a sensitive time. Nigeria continues to battle terrorism, banditry, and other security threats across several regions.
Moreover, the meeting followed reports that the United States deployed a small team of troops to Nigeria on February 3.
This deployment marked the first officially acknowledged U.S. military presence since airstrikes targeted terrorist positions on Christmas Day 2025.
The renewed partnership is expected to focus on intelligence sharing, training, and technical support.
Furthermore, Nigeria’s engagement with USAFRICOM reflects broader regional concerns. West Africa has witnessed growing extremist activity, making international cooperation more critical than ever.
However, government sources insist that Nigeria maintains control of its security operations. The role of foreign partners, they say, remains supportive rather than operational.
Therefore, attention is now focused on possible outcomes from the discussions.
