By George Ozalla
Nigeria and the United States have moved to strengthen their defence and security partnership following high-level bilateral talks in Washington D.C. focused on military cooperation, intelligence sharing and joint efforts to combat terrorism and other security threats.
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), led a high-powered Nigerian delegation to the Pentagon, where the two sides discussed areas of mutual security interest and ways of improving cooperation between their armed forces.
The Nigerian delegation included the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele; the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant General Parker Udiandeye, and other senior officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
The delegation held discussions with senior officials of the United States Department of War led by Julia Sokol, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for International Security Affairs.
According to a statement issued by Leah Katung-Babatunde, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Defence, the meeting was a continuation of the United States-Nigeria Joint Working Group Defence Bilateral Talks, with discussions centred on the two countries’ shared security architecture, intelligence collaboration and operational cooperation.
The wider Nigerian diplomatic mission, led by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was in the United States for the second meeting of the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group held from August 12 to 13, 2026.
The meeting was co-chaired by Ribadu and Allison Hooker, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
The discussions reviewed progress made under earlier engagements and examined strategic frameworks following Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern by the United States.
The two sides also discussed the need for continued engagement and closer cooperation in responding to security challenges affecting Nigeria, the West African region and the wider international community.
The Defence Ministry said the engagements underscored the commitment of both countries to sustained dialogue, mutual respect and a stronger strategic partnership in the fight against terrorism and other security threats.
The participation of senior Nigerian officials from the defence, intelligence, economic and diplomatic sectors reflected the broad scope of the discussions, which went beyond military operations to include intelligence cooperation and other aspects of the two countries’ security relationship.
The talks provided an opportunity for both countries to review existing defence cooperation and identify areas requiring closer collaboration.
