By Lengnan Tobias
Abuja, Aug. 13, 2026
Nigeria and the United States (US) have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen defence and security cooperation following high-level bilateral talks in Washington D.C.
This is contained in a statement on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Defence, Leah Katung-Babatunde.
Katung-Babatunde said that the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, led a Nigerian delegation in strategic engagements with U.S. authorities aimed at strengthening military-to-military relations and counter-terrorism cooperation.
The Nigerian delegation included the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede.
Others are the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lt.-Gen. Parker Udiandeye, alongside other senior officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
The delegation held discussions with senior officials of the U.S. Department of Defence led by Ms Julia Sokol, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs.
The engagement is a direct continuation of the Nigeria–United States Joint Working Group Defence Bilateral Talks, with focus on shared security architecture, intelligence collaboration and operational synergies.
The diplomatic mission was led by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, for the second meeting of the US–Nigeria joint working group held on Wednesday and Thursday.
Co-chaired by Ribadu and the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Ms Allison Hooker, the meeting reviewed actionable progress and strategic frameworks following Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to sustained dialogue, mutual respect and strategic alliance in combating global and regional threats.
