The United States and the Federal Government of Nigeria have agreed to establish a security working group to coordinate a new phase of defence and intelligence cooperation, following high-level diplomatic engagements in Washington, D.C., last week.
Okay News reports that the agreement was confirmed in a statement on Monday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said the discussions helped reinforce a constructive partnership and address what Abuja described as damaging misconceptions about Nigeria’s internal conflict dynamics.
Onanuga said the Nigerian delegation, led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, used every meeting to firmly reject allegations of a state-sanctioned or religiously motivated genocide. He stressed that the security working group emerged partly in response to the need for better information-sharing and clearer communication with U.S. institutions.
Quoting senior officials, Onanuga said: “Violent attacks affect families and communities across religious and ethnic lines,” emphasising that Nigeria’s security crisis stems largely from criminality, extremism, and resource-based conflicts.
The U.S. Government, he added, committed to expanding defence support to Nigeria through enhanced intelligence sharing, faster processing of defence equipment requests, and potential access to excess U.S. military assets — all of which will be coordinated under the incoming security working group.
Washington also signalled readiness to deepen humanitarian assistance and provide technical help to strengthen early-warning systems in conflict-prone regions. The new platform is expected to streamline bilateral intelligence collaboration, improve defence-engagement channels, and enable more structured crisis-response efforts between both countries.
Nigeria, in turn, reaffirmed its commitment to civilian protection and to improving rules of engagement as security agencies intensify operations against extremist networks operating across northern and central states.
Onanuga said the meetings “provided ample opportunity to correct misconceptions about Nigeria” and helped “reinforce mutual trust” between Abuja and Washington, especially amid heightened global scrutiny of religious-freedom issues. He added that Nigerians should be assured that firm and coordinated steps are being taken to stabilise the security environment.
The Nigerian delegation included Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Intelligence Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Parker Undiandeye, Special Adviser to the NSA Idayat Hassan, and senior foreign-relations officials from the Office of the NSA.
The talks followed comments earlier this month by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed a Christian genocide was underway in Nigeria and designated the country as a “Country of Particular Concern.” Nigerian officials dismissed the allegation as inaccurate and said the new diplomatic channel — the security working group — will help ensure continued clarification at the highest levels of U.S. policymaking.
