The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to working with Nigeria to combat terrorism following a high-level security meeting at the Pentagon on November 20.
Hosted by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the meeting included a Nigerian delegation led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The discussions coincided with deliberations in the US Congress on reports of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
According to a statement from Sean Parnell, assistant to the Secretary of War for public affairs, both sides explored strategies to achieve “tangible progress on stopping violence against Christians in Nigeria and countering West African jihadist groups.”
The statement added that Secretary Hegseth highlighted the importance of Nigeria demonstrating decisive action to protect Christians while emphasising US willingness to collaborate closely with Nigerian authorities to deter and weaken terrorist threats.
The visit, directed by President Bola Tinubu, included Ribadu leading a delegation comprising Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bianca Ojukwu, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, and Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede. The team also met with US House Representative Riley Moore in Washington.
