The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has insisted that the country’s security partnership with the United States primarily focuses on capacity building, professional military education, intelligence sharing, logistics support, and strategic dialogue aimed at addressing shared security concerns, including terrorism.
The DHQ made the clarification following the report that U.S. troops had been deployed to Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, the DHQ emphasized that all engagements with the United States are conducted with full respect for Nigeria’s sovereignty and existing bilateral frameworks.
General Uba reassured Nigerians that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remain committed to protecting the nation’s territorial integrity, while collaborating with credible partners in ways that strengthen the country’s security.
The statement further stressed that Nigeria’s defence partnerships are transparent, policy-driven, and aligned with constitutional provisions, ensuring that international cooperation enhances the nation’s security architecture without compromising national independence.
A top US general recently said the United States has deployed a small military team to Nigeria.
Speaking after the United States launched strikes targeting militants in Nigeria on December 25, General Dagvin Anderson, head of the US Africa Command (Africom), said the two countries had decided to “increase collaboration”.
“We agreed that we needed to work together on the way forward in the region,” Anderson told a virtual news conference on Tuesday.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small US team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States in order to augment what Nigeria has been doing for several years.”
The general, however, did not give details on the team’s activities.
