Nigeria, US meet to advance counter-terrorism cooperation

Nigeria and the United States have convened a Joint Working Group meeting to evaluate the progress of their bilateral counter-terrorism initiatives and to strategize the future of their security cooperation. The meeting, disclosed by Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, on Thursday, follows the establishment of the group in late 2025.

The Joint Working Group was formed after the U.S. re-designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. Its inaugural session took place earlier this year in Abuja. Nine months after the cooperation began, the U.S. conducted missile strikes on suspected terrorists in Nigeria, an action Abuja stated respected its sovereignty.

According to Ms. Ojukwu, the current Abuja meeting is focused on enhancing security and intelligence sharing, protecting communities vulnerable to religiously motivated violence, and other areas of mutual interest. The Nigerian delegation is led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, while the U.S. delegation is headed by Allison Hooker, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

A key point of discussion is the differing perspectives on the nature of the violence. The U.S. characterizes the conflict as "Christian genocide," whereas Nigeria maintains that armed groups are targeting Nigerians across all faiths and backgrounds. Discussions are also set to cover the return and protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs), counter-terrorism financing, accountability for perpetrators, border control measures, and a strategic review of the "Defence Roadmap."

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efforts to strengthen cooperation on security and intelligence sharing, protection of vulnerable communities, particularly at risk of religiously motivated violence, and other areas of mutual interest.