Nigeria and U.S. Enhance Military Cooperation in Talks

General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd), Nigeria's Minister of Defence, concluded high-level bilateral engagements with U.S. authorities in Washington D.C. aimed at strengthening military-to-military relations and counter-terrorism cooperation. This engagement was reported by Leah Katung-Babatunde, the Special Adviser on media to the Minister of Defence.

The Nigerian delegation included Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, General Olufemi Oluyede, the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. General Parker Udiandeye, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, and other senior officers from the Armed Forces of Nigeria. They held discussions with senior officials from the U.S.

Department of War, led by Julia Sokol, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of War for International Security Affairs. The meetings were part of the U.S.–Nigeria Joint Working Group Defence Bilateral Talks, focusing on security architecture, intelligence collaboration, and operational synergies.

The diplomatic mission, led by National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, participated in the second meeting of the US–Nigeria Joint Working Group from August 12 to 13, 2026, co-chaired by Ribadu and Allison Hooker.