Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Sunday, 8 February 2026, received a visiting United States military delegation at the State House in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, as both countries continue discussions on security cooperation and counterterrorism.
A statement shared by Dada Olusegun, Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, said President Tinubu welcomed the visitors alongside Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and senior military leaders. Okay News reports that the delegation was led by General Dagvin R. Anderson, Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), the United States military command responsible for American military operations and security partnerships across Africa.
Also listed as part of the delegation was Keith Heffern, the Charge d’Affaires at the United States Embassy in Nigeria, along with other AFRICOM officials. The meeting was held at the State House complex, also known as Aso Rock, which houses the offices of Nigeria’s president.
Photographs and accompanying details from the State House identified several Nigerian security and defence officials present at the meeting, including Mohammed Mohammed, Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and Tosin Ajayi, Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS). Other officials named included Garric M. Banfield, a Command Sergeant Major and Command Senior Enlisted Leader at AFRICOM, and Ambassador Peter Vrooman, described as AFRICOM’s Senior Foreign Policy Adviser. The officials listed also included General Christopher Musa (Retired), described as Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Olufemi Oluyede, described as Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, described as Chief of Army Staff, and Lieutenant General Emmanuel Uandiandeye, described as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
The visit came amid reports that the United States deployed a small team of troops to Nigeria on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, a move described as the first official United States military presence on the ground in the country since airstrikes that targeted what Washington said were terrorist positions on Thursday, 25 December 2025 (Christmas Day).
Those December strikes followed a decision by United States President Donald Trump, the leader of the United States federal government, who said the attacks hit “Islamic State targets” and suggested additional military action could follow.
Before the reported deployment, the United States had also been conducting surveillance flights over Nigeria from neighbouring Ghana, a West African country, since at least November 2025, as part of intelligence support linked to the December airstrikes.
General Anderson, speaking on the reported troop presence, said the deployment was tied to deeper cooperation between the United States and Nigeria in response to terrorist threats in West Africa, a region of Africa that includes Nigeria and several neighbouring countries.
“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small U.S. team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” he said.
He did not provide details on the size of the team or its precise duties, but said it would support Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts.
