Tinubu meets AFRICOM Chief amid growing US-Nigeria security cooperation

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday received a high-level delegation from the United States, led by Dagvin Anderson, Commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), and Keith Heffern, chargé d’affaires of the US Embassy in Nigeria, at the State House, Abuja.

Also present were Peter Vrooman, AFRICOM foreign policy adviser, and Garric Banfield, AFRICOM senior enlisted leader.

The delegation met with the President alongside Nigeria’s top security officials, including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed; Director-General of the Department of State Service, Tosin Ajayi; Minister of Defence Christopher Musa; Chief of Defence Staff Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff Waidi Shaibu; and Chief of Defence Intelligence Emmanuel Uandiandeye.

The meeting comes shortly after Anderson revealed that the United States had deployed a “small team” of troops to Nigeria, following ongoing security cooperation between the two countries. The AFRICOM chief previously held discussions with President Tinubu in Rome, Italy, late last year, which set the stage for the deployment.

Weeks ago, Allison Hooker, US under-secretary of state, led a team representing eight federal agencies to Abuja for a bilateral working group meeting with Nigerian security officials. The Nigerian delegation was headed by the National Security Adviser.

The engagements highlight the growing partnership between Nigeria and the United States in addressing security challenges and enhancing intelligence and military cooperation.