Nigeria, US deepen military ties to combat terrorism

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd), has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening military relations with the United States, particularly in counter-terrorism operations.

General Musa made these remarks on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving Major General Matthew Brown, Commander of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), who was on an official working visit to the Ministry of Defence.

A statement by Leah Katung Babatunde, SA Media, to the minister said, ‘The visit aimed to review ongoing joint security initiatives and formulate a more result-orientated strategic framework for future defence collaboration.’

Expressing appreciation to the U.S. government for its sustained partnership, General Musa noted that collaborative security operations in the Northeast, particularly around the Lake Chad Basin, have significantly boosted troop morale.

To build on these gains, the minister highlighted key priority areas for enhanced cooperation, including: Specialised joint training for Special Forces, intelligence sharing and capacity building, enhanced border surveillance and security, Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) support, and modernisation of defence infrastructure to strengthen local capacity.

In his remark, Major General Brown extended early Independence Day felicitations to Nigeria and expressed gratitude for the decades-long military-to-military relationship that continues to advance common security objectives.

He specifically highlighted successful counter-terrorism engagements against ISIS-affiliated groups in Africa and commended the troops involved.

Reaffirming the nature of U.S. engagements in the region following the departure of the soldiers that formed part of the Combined Special Task Force that operated in the Bauchi area, Major General Brown emphasised that U.S. military activities in Nigeria are temporary and focused on institutional support and collaboration.

Describing the bilateral relationship as strategic and grounded in mutual trust, Major General Brown stated that the primary goal of his visit was to gain a direct understanding of Nigeria’s defence priorities in order to align broader U.S. support and strengthen ongoing bilateral intelligence sharing.