The United States has confirmed the deployment of a small team of its troops to Nigeria following renewed security cooperation between both countries.
The confirmation was made on Tuesday by the Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Dagvin Anderson, during a press briefing.
This marks the first official acknowledgement of US military presence on Nigerian soil since the Donald Trump administration carried out missile strikes on terrorist targets in Sokoto State on Christmas Day.
General Anderson said the deployment followed high-level engagements, including his meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Rome late last year. According to him, the discussions paved the way for deeper collaboration between both nations on security matters.
“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 in order to augment what Nigeria has been doing for several years,” Anderson said.
He did not disclose the size, location, or exact role of the deployed team, and it remains unclear when the troops arrived in Nigeria.
The development comes weeks after the US Under-Secretary of State, Allison Hooker, led a delegation from eight federal agencies to Abuja for a bilateral working group meeting with Nigerian security officials. Nigeria’s delegation was led by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The meeting followed the redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by the Trump administration, a move that heightened diplomatic and security engagements between both countries.
During the period, former President Trump had publicly threatened to send US troops into Nigeria to confront terrorist groups, particularly over concerns about attacks on Christians.
On December 25, the United States carried out air strikes on two terrorist enclaves in the Bauni Forest, located in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigerian Ministry of Defence has yet to officially comment on the reported deployment.
