Nigeria announced on Monday a strengthened security partnership with the United States, including expedited defence equipment and potential excess military supplies, days after rejecting accusations of Christian genocide.
The deal was sealed after a high-level delegation led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu held talks in Washington with senior Trump administration officials.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the US had committed to deeper intelligence cooperation to combat Boko Haram jihadists in the northeast and armed “bandit” gangs in the northwest.
Nigeria firmly denied claims of systematic persecution of Christians, telling US counterparts that violence “affects families and communities across religious and ethnic lines”.
The diplomatic breakthrough follows President Trump’s early-November threat on Truth Social to intervene militarily if Abuja failed to stop what he called large-scale killings of Christians by “radical Islamic terrorists”.
Violence in Nigeria has claimed over 40,000 lives since 2009 and displaced millions, with attacks often indiscriminate. Recent mass kidnappings and raids have intensified pressure on President Bola Tinubu’s government.
The two countries described the talks as “constructive”, signalling a de-escalation from confrontation to renewed counter-terrorism collaboration.